The Play of Daniel
1988 New Zealand International Festival of the Arts Performance

At the Picardy town of Beauvais, New Year's Day in the 13th century must have been a remarkable occasion. Known as the Feast of Fools, January 1 was the day when each year the sub-deacons (the junior clerics) were allowed to rule the Cathedral. Not only did the sub-deacons take this as an opportunity for indulging in their sense of the ridiculous - a donkey procession being one example - they also promoted the performance of a full-scale drama, the anonymous Play of Daniel.

The Play of Daniel, 13 March 1988All this was housed in the new cathedral at Beauvais which after 1272 was (briefly, until it collapsed) the tallest cathedral in Europe.

This costumed and semi-staged performance of The Play of Daniel was part of the 1988 New Zealand International Festival of the Arts.

"Staged with a simple and effective elegance ... the audience was highly enthusiastic about what was, in fact, a most enlightening glimpse of a period seldom celebrated in these parts" -- The Listener
"The Consort succeeded admirably" -- The Press

Download poster for this performance (JPG image, 283 Kb)
Download programme notes for this performance (Microsoft Word document, 49 Kb)

Programme

The Service of First Vespers

Interval

The Play of Daniel

8pm*, Sunday 13 March 1988
Wellington Cathedral of St Paul
Molesworth Street, Wellington

* pre-concert talk at 7.30pm

dir. Simon Ravens

The Play of Daniel, 13 March 1988

The Play of Daniel, 13 March 1988

The Play of Daniel, 13 March 1988

Moments from The Play of Daniel, 13 March 1988

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