ABSTRACT
Probably the most pervasive misconception about medieval drama is the evolutionary assumption that the drama originated as an extension of Latin church services, that these liturgical dramas gradually grew in length and production size to the point that they had to move outside to the church steps, and that once outdoor production began, civic authorities naturally became involved as productions became more complex and involved the laity. Besides this long-debunked evolutionary theory, other misconceptions include the beliefs that the great urban “cycle” plays were the normal and ubiquitous form of drama, that all such biblical plays were alike in form and content and were performed on traveling wagons, and that medieval drama, especially the morality play, was merely a dramatized sermon (and therefore boring). On the contrary, recent scholarship and productions have revealed that some cycles were performed in a fi xed platform area and did not move in procession, that there is distinct regional variety between plays that ostensibly treat the same subject, and that many of the medieval plays are funny, moving, and highly entertaining.
