Henry Visits The Theater Trivia Quiz

Answer: Secrets Master

The special effects, or secrets, are features like flying machines or trap doors, which allow people to disappear or appear seemingly out of nowhere! The last time we saw a play, one of the secrets was called the hellmouth. It is a representation of the entrance to hell - something typically depicted in a play.

It was one of the scariest things I have ever seen - the face of a huge monster with a huge mouth that is always open, waiting for more pitiful souls to enter. It was belching out all kinds of smoke and sometimes sweet smells that are meant as a distraction to lure the unsuspecting. Just thinking about it makes me shudder!

Answer: Confraternity

Almost all of the actors in our plays are amateurs, and although females are allowed to perform in other countries, that is NOT the case in England! In larger towns and cities the members of a guild - like the chandler's guild, for example - will also perform plays. Typically such a play is about a story from the Bible, and the guild members will choose a theme that somehow relates to their occupation.

Answer: Pageant Master

This job has to be one of the most difficult in the theater business, as everything must be coordinated to an exact plan. Pageant wagons that have 4-6 wheels and may be as high as two stories are used for carrying the different scenes that are used in a play (upper story) and dressing rooms shielded with curtains for the actors (lower story).

There is a trap door between the stories so that the actors may move back and forth as needed. When a play comes to London, it is typical for the first wagon to stop in a predetermined spot - like Winchester Palace, for example.

After the first wagon's scene is concluded, it will move to another location to perform the same scene. Then the next wagon will come to Winchester Palace and perform the second scene.

It is a massive undertaking! I have been to a similar production in Warwick, but instead of moving, the wagons lined up and the people moved from wagon to wagon, or from stage to stage.

Answer: Mystery Play

This type of play is said to have been originally written and performed by monks in order to inform the common people about events from the Bible. Not too long ago (1210), Pope Innocent III issued a law that said that clergy could no longer perform in these plays. That's okay! Now the local guild people typically act out the plays; the best change, however, is that now they are performed in English rather than Latin. Before the crowd had to be told what was about to happen in the play; now they can understand for themselves. My Latin isn't the greatest, but the reason why they are called mystery plays is because the word is taken from "ministerium", which means "occupation", as the plays are now controlled by the members of various trade guilds.

Answer: Morality Play

In a morality play the main character represents humanity. Throughout the course of the action, this character has all sorts of decisions to make as he is confronted by both good and evil. The purpose of the play is to teach us about choices that we make and the possible outcomes that result due to each choice. I like them because there is more to hear and see than just religious teaching. (Did I say that!? Please don't tell milady!) And - some of the situations in which the main character finds himself are just funny!

Answer: Mansion

Mansions, or stages, can be movable, like the wagons previously discussed, or permanent. I went to a performance once with the Earl and his family that was held in a church. Inside the church the mansions were stationary; there was a stage in the middle of the floor that was surrounded by a mansion representing Hell on one side and Heaven on the other.

The actors moved back and forth between the mansions as dictated by the play. It was very breathtaking because the scene were very elaborately decorated. Plays are becoming so popular that it is said that those with artistic ability can earn a living by decorating the scenes and making properties that are used in the plays.

Answer: Interlude

Many times musicians - either professional or amateur - will be hired or asked to perform for the entertainment of the audience between the acts of a play or the courses at a banquet. The interlude is meant to soothe the audience or, if the play is very serious in nature, to offer some comic relief. My Lord, the Earl of Warwick, commonly hires musicians for this purpose during important events at Warwick Castle.

Answer: Passion Play

Christians believe that the Passion of Christ is the time during Holy Week before Easter. It begins with the Friday before Palm Sunday, called the Friday of Sorrows, which remembers the Blessed Virgin Mary, and ends with Christ's death on Good Friday.

These plays are very important because many cannot read or write, so they teach us about important events in the life of Christ. Passion plays originated in the Catholic Church because it was believed that on Good Friday the Gospel should be sung in parts.

Its a good thing that people are able to watch the action in the play because most of the time Passion plays are performed in Latin.

Answer: Cycle

I accompanied the Countess to a cycle play shortly after I arrived at Warwick Castle to begin my training as a page, as she wished to reinforce my knowledge of and belief in Bible stories and events. During the Feast of Corpus Christi in the Spring we traveled to York, and stayed there many days while we watched stories from The Creation all the way to the Last Judgement.

In fact, there were 48 plays altogether, and as I recall, some of the plays went on for hours and hours! (Not that I was counting!) In all honesty, I was told that it is a great honor to be able to view a full performance of the cycle.

There are other cities that also host such an event. Typically the plays are written by the clergy, but are performed by members of different guilds.

Answer: Tropes

The purpose of the tropes is to further emphasize the lesson that is being taught by the play. It is chanted or sung repeatedly between stanzas and used as either a commentary on what was said in the previous stanza or help prepare the audience for what is coming next.

For example, the phrase "quem quaritis", which means "whom do you seek?", is repeated throughout a play called "Visitatio sepulchri", which is about the visit to the tomb by the women who discovered that Jesus was no longer there.