January 31st 2019
Nick Fry presents the story of the Chester mystery plays
The Chester Mystery Plays are one of the best known examples of medieval drama in the country and are still performed every five years. The plays have always been a large scale community event and in this illustrated talk, Nick Fry (a Mystery Play ‘veteran’) will look at the history of the plays, their revival in the 20th century as well as more recent productions. He’ll also reveal some possible evidence of the Plays in the medieval wood carvings in the quire of Chester Cathedral.
Nick first appeared in the Mystery Plays in the late 1970s and has been associated with them ever since. He is a member of the Chester Mystery Play Board and adapted and directed an outdoor performance of the Mystery Plays in 2000 in commemoration of the Millennium which attracted thousands of spectators. He appeared as ‘God’ in the hugely successful production of the Chester Mystery Plays in 2003, a performance of which was attended by HRH Prince Edward and again in the 2008 production as King Herod. In 2013, he played God again and appeared as Noah in 2018.
Nick is now the Bedesman of Chester Cathedral, where he has worked for over 30 years in a variety of positions ranging from Assistant Verger to Heritage Manager but always dealing with visitors, attempting to answer questions, formulating tours and helping people appreciate the glories of the Cathedral.
