<p>This is a live recording from a selection of mystery plays compiled in 2007 for a show called Medieval Mysteries - focusing on the Nativity. The opening of the show used relevant sections of the Chester Banns - Banns used to announce the coming mystery pageants before the reformation. Audio quality is very poor - it was recorded with a mini-disc player using headphones as a microphone. It&#39;s a miracle, frankly, it sounds this good. A full and clear recording of the banns, pre and post reformation, are planned. Speaker: Robert Crighton</p>

Chester Plays 6.1: Nativity

From the earliest drama in English, to the closing of the theatres in 1642, there was a hell of a lot of drama produced - and a lot of it wasn't by Shakespeare. Apart from a few noble exceptions these plays are often passed over, ignored or simply unknown. This podcast presents full audio productions of the plays, fragmentary and extant, that shaped the theatrical world that shaped our dramatic history.