18/11/2009
Vitoria-Gasteiz, November 18, 2009 - Santa María Cathedral will be recovering performances of mystery plays in spring of 2010. Laboratorio de Arte Dramático Ortzai is to direct and develop this initiative, in which the Agency for the Integral Revitalisation of the Historic City of Vitoria-Gasteiz will also be involved.
Eucharistic plays are allegorical dramas about a dogma of the Catholic Church set against the backdrop of the exaltation of the sacrament of the Eucharist. Although mystery plays existed during the Middle Ages, these types of works was structured and reached their great apogee in the period subsequent to the Council of Trent. They were also widely used by the Church as a pastoral tool. Specifically, the plays performed in the Cathedral will belong to the most relevant classical and contemporary religious playwriting and the staging will endeavour to spur reflection on transcendental aspects of human life and its spiritual and religious dimensions. To do so, Laboratorio de Arte Dramático Ortzai, directed by Iker Ortiz de Zárate, will launch a workshop on playwriting, staging and theatrical production at its headquarters in the Historic Centre. Specially directed by scholars of language, history, art, theatre, theology and those who wish to contribute the fruits of their knowledge of the city's heritage, the workshop will tackle aspects of theatrical production that range from choosing and/or creating the texts to staging.
In addition to helping revitalise the medieval centre and intangible artistic heritage, the initiative aims to recover and stage European religious plays that date from the Middle Ages to Spain's Golden Age, as well as contemporary works, at different times of the year, especially during Easter Week. Another objective is to compile original dramas from Santa María Cathedral including existing texts as well as new ones in order to create a stable series of Eucharistic plays at the Cathedral. Other cultural and social collectives related to the Cathedral and the city itself will also be encouraged to participate.