odern performances still involve a wide cross-section of the population, including professional and amateur actors, musicians and technicians, community organisations and schools groups. The Chester Mysteries are performed every five years, traditionally over the course of three consecutive evenings. They attract audiences from all over the world and are an experience not to be missed.

The 1992 performances took place in the open air on Chester Cathedral Green in the shadow of the ancient City Walls but the 2000 cycle of plays restored the ancient practice of performing from the back of a 'pageant wagon' and took place at the High Cross and Town Hall Square.

Unlike the 1992 cycle, all the performances, in the spirit of the originals, were free. The director, Nicolas Fry, said, "I am thrilled to be staging the plays in a way that echoes so beautifully the medieval tradition".

In 2008, the plays returned to Cathedral Green and admission charges were once more imposed, sadly excluding many less well-off local people. This applied also to the most recent performances of the Chester Mysteries, which took place 26th June to 13th July 2013 in the nave of the Cathedral.

Here is the official Chester Mystery Plays website. The photo library at the Black & White Picture Place contains a comprehensive photographic record of the 1992 cycle of plays, all available as beautiful handmade prints.

You may be interested in seeing these two views from the 1967 Chester Mystery Plays...