Folk play
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Folk playssuch asHoodening,Guising,Mummers PlayandSoul Cakingare generally verse sketches performed in countryside pubs in European countries, private houses or the open air, at set times of the year such as theWinteror Summersolsticesor Christmas and New Year. Many have long traditions, although they are frequently updated to retain their relevance for contemporary audiences.
With the rise infolklore studiesas an academic discipline, research into folk plays has increased. Notable organizations in this area (in the UK in particular, often centred on Yorkshire) have included:
- Centre for English Cultural Tradition and Language(CECTAL), founded in 1975 based on prior research programmes, inside theUniversity of Sheffield's Department of English[1]
- Institute of Dialect and Folklife Studies(IDAFS, part ofLeeds University,closed in 1984)
- National Centre for English Cultural Tradition(NATCECT, new name for CECTAL since 1997; run by Joan C. Beal andProfessor John D.A. Widdowson;had a Traditional Heritage Museum; no longer active: the archives were passed to Sheffield University'sArchives of Cultural Tradition)
- Institute of Folklore Studies(off-shoot of NATCECT in both Britain and Canada, founded in 1986)
- Folklore Departmentat theMemorial University of Newfoundland(FDMUN)
- Centre for English Traditional Heritage(CETH,run byJohn Widdowson- see under NATCECT above)
- Traditional Drama Research Group(TDRG,run by Duncan Broomhead)
- Master Mummers(offshoot of the TDRG, run by Peter Millington)
- Centre for Contemporary Legend(CCL,part ofSheffield Hallam University)
- Sussex Centre for Folklore Fairy Tales and Fantasy(SCFFTF,part of theUniversity of Chichester)
- Vaughan Williams Memorial Library(VWML, part of theEnglish Folk Dance and Song Society,EFDSS).
In addition, although theMorris dancehas no direct link with folk plays, members of theMorris Federation,Open MorrisandMorris Ringoften perform mumming plays on the side.
References[edit]
- ^Jacqueline Simpson; Steve Roud (January 2003). "National Centre for English Cultural Tradition".A dictionary of English folklore.Oxford University Press.ISBN9780198607663.Retrieved23 January2019.
External links[edit]
- Folkopedia(wiki)
- Traditional Drama Research Group
- Master Mummers
- Tewkesbury's Millennia of Mummers' Heritage kept aliveArchived2019-12-22 at theWayback Machine
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