ABSTRACT
These dates span the period from the first mention of modern mummers’ plays (as distinct from earlier medieval mumming) until their widespread establishment as a customary form. Rather than focussing on variants of the already well-documented mummers’ play, the chapter considers other performances also taking place in private homes and public houses, on trestle stages and at fairground booths. Like mummers’ plays, these performances have seasonal associations and attach to particular places. With one exception – a professional booth at a seasonal fair – they are amateur or semi-professional. The case is made that although mummers’ plays were an undoubtedly popular and widespread form, they were by no means exceptional within the prevailing theatrical climate. They formed part of a tapestry of seasonal dramatic performance that interwove early modern modes of performance with contemporary theatrical trends.
