Drama
category editor Dr Eddie Cass
Room, Room, Brave Gallants, Give us Room to Sport!
.....for in this place we do resort
to bring you information on the spectacle that is the Mummers Play, plus any other form of traditional street drama.
Your first stop in any study of this form of drama must be the Traditional Drama Research Group whose web site is hosted by the EFDSS. The site is full of scripts, pictures and information about plays all over the world.
Plays performed now
The Master Mummers Directory of Folk Play Groups has a comprehensive list of over 250 active groups, arranged by county and searchable by keyword. Photographs of many of these groups can be found in the Folk Play Research website's Photo Gallery.
North East
Long Company Ripponden. West Yorkshire web site
Midgley Pace Egg Calder Valley. West Yorkshire
Heptonstall Pace Egg Heptonstall, Calder Valley. West Yorkshire
Bradshaw Mummers Bradford area, West Yorkshire
Byker Mummers Newcastle on Tyne You Tube
Fylingdale Mummers Fylingdale, near Whitby, North Yorkshire
South
Frome Valley Morris Men Mummers Play Weymouth, Dorset You Tube
Wessex Morris Men Mummers Play Cerne Abbas, Dorset You Tube
South West
Marshfield Mummers Marshfield, Gloucestershire
Miscellaneous
Jig Dolls
It's difficult to place Jig Dolls in the structure of Folkopedia but here in 'Drama' is as good a place as any for the moment. They should warrant their own section at some point in the future. In the meantime.......
Jig Dolls are dancing dolls made of wood and typically activated by bouncing a wooden plank underneath them. Have a look at this video of Pat Pickles and all will become clear.