by Lillian Bills, dramaturg The original Everyman comes from several hundred years of liturgical (religious) drama in Western Europe. There were several different kinds of liturgical drama that arose during the medieval ages including mystery plays (retellings of bible stories) and morality plays (plays that teach a moral). Hrotsvitha, a German nun in the 10th century, is credited with being the oldest medieval playwright. She wrote liturgical comedies which focus on the battle between good and evil, chastity, and martyrs. Liturgical drama was created not only to entertain audiences, but also to make Bible stories more relatable or to remind audiences to choose good over evil. Liturgical drama dominated English…
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Interview with Dr. Joseph Parry
by Lillian Bills, dramaturg This interview was conducted on March 4, 2021 by Lillian Bills, dramaturg for BYU’s productions of Everyone, a new adaptation of the medieval play Everyman. Dr. Joseph Parry is a professor of Comparative Arts and Letters at Brigham Young University. Watch the video, or read the transcript below. And join us for Everyone, live streaming March 11-13, 2021. Time Stamps: 00:00 – 6:17 – Setting the Historical Stage 6:17 – 9:23 – Everyman and Catholicism 9:23 – 16:20 – How do you prepare for death? 16:20 – 21:10 – Medieval Idea of God 21:10 – 23:12 – the Everyone Adaptation 23:12 – 16:35 – What we love about…
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Religion, L’Engle, and “A Wrinkle in Time”
by Patrick Hayes, dramaturg Scholar Jean Fulton wrote, “L’Engle’s fiction for young readers is considered important partly because she was among the first to focus directly on the deep, delicate issues that young people must face, such as death, social conformity, and truth. L’Engle’s work always is uplifting because she is able to look at the surface values of life from a perspective of wholeness, both joy and pain, transcending each to uncover the absolute nature of human experience that they share.” – “A Wrinkle in Time”. Classics of Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature Today’s blog topic looks at the religious symbolism and spiritual connection woven into A Wrinkle in Time and examines some…