Modern mysteries set to thrill Galtres Festival crowds

3:20pm Wednesday 28th March 2012

By Natalya Wilson

MODERN men of mystery will take over the stages at Galtres Festival near Crayke during the August Bank Holiday weekend.

The festival has teamed up with the organisers of the York Mystery Plays to stage a series of modern takes on the ancient plays and will be presenting prize-winning short plays written by York scriptwriters which are based on the themes of the centuries-old mystery plays.

The medieval cycle of York Mystery Plays has been performed by the people of York across the centuries and is a world-famous part of the city’s cultural heritage.

From Creation to the Last Judgment, these plays form one of the greatest stories ever told.

This summer, the story of God, of man and woman and of the cosmic struggle between good and evil will be presented on an epic scale against the magnificent backdrop of St Mary's Abbey in York.

Galtres Festival falls on the final weekend of the York Mystery Plays and the organisers have got together with Script Yorkshire and the York Settlement Players to bring modern versions of the plays to the festival.

Each of the short plays is a winning entry from a scriptwriting competition run by the York branch of Script Yorkshire and will be enacted by members of the York Settlement Players and other actors throughout Galtres Festival weekend.

“We're all really thrilled about the Modern Mysteries coming to Galtres,” said festival director, James Houston.

“Galtres Festival draws heavily on the extraordinary creative talent in York and around and each year showcases the most innovative and exciting music, theatre and cabaret.

We’ve worked hard to develop the quality of drama and storytelling at Galtres in recent years and this collaboration with Script Yorkshire and the Mystery Plays will help us deliver an even better quality programme to our audience.”

Liam Evans-Ford, community producer for the York Mystery Plays, added: “Alongside the major restaging of the York Mystery Plays at the Museum Gardens in August, we were keen to find out some modern interpretations of the stories from emerging and established writers.

“This partnership with Galtres Festival, a festival very much at the heart of its community, allows our scriptwriters a unique opportunity to see their plays performed in a festival setting.”

Galtres Festival began life eight years ago as a small beer and cider festival but has grown into a major three-day event with five music stages, attracting major bands like The Charlatans, The Lightning Seeds, Shed Seven, British Sea Power, the Levellers and others.

The festival is very much a family event, with a huge programme of activities and workshops for children and young people, as well as a feast of quality local food and around 100 Yorkshire beers and ciders to choose from.