Site-Specific Performance and the Fictive Localities of the York Corpus Christi Play

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the York Corpus Christi Play as a site-specific text that relies on its placement in medieval York to create meaning for its audiences. The study examines the physical and social context of these pageants from the 1370s until the 1560s and uses human geography as the theoretical framework to situate the performances of the Play in their urban environment. Issues of site, place, staging, and the interaction that these elements have with the fictive localities presented in the pageants are central to this understanding of the Play as a site-specific text.

The study begins with an exploration of the topography and archaeology of medieval York with a focus on the pageant route as well as the places that were significant centres of meaning for its citizens. This is followed by an examination of the extant documentary evidence from the medieval performances and the mechanics of the productions in order to show how the practical details of staging are affected by the playing space. The three case studies at the close of the thesis show how different groups of pageants from the Play engage with its performance space to articulate the importance of site for the reception of the medieval performances. These case studies will show that the relationship between the fictive localities in the pageants and the architectural sites of the performances in York are an essential part of the audiences' experience of the Play.