The village of Aldermaston has put on a Nativity Play in the parish church of St Mary the Virgin every year since 1957. The play is an adaptation of 6 plays, that tell the story of the first Christmas, from the 400 year old York Mystery Cycle .
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I just needed to email you regards the Nativity Play. It was SPECTACULAR. BREATHTAKING.It was the first time my husband and I had seen the production and we left in awe. And I can’t remember the last time leaving a production, feeling that we had seen something special. To think that everyone concerned with the production are amateurs. It beggars belief. We will definitely come again and encourage others to do so. Please thank everyone concerned.Wishing you all a Blessed ChristmasCarol – 2019
I have just been to your performance of the Nativity, in Aldermaston. It was outstanding. The whole experience was just amazing. The choir were exceptionally wonderful and I hope to come again every year.I must say, the musicians who were playing recorders in the beginning, really needed more attention to hear their excellent music. It was such a treat to hear such beautiful music. I wish they had silence while playing. It really got us into the spirit of long ago.Thank you for a wonderful evening. I shall never forget it. Please pass on my praise and thanks to all the performers.Have a peaceful and joyful Christmas!Best wishes,Ingrid – 2024
The Aldermaston staging of the York Nativity Play was the brainchild of Revd Canon Stanley Young, the vicar of Aldermaston, and Pat Eastop, a local mother and teacher who had studied Medieval Art. Pat went on to direct the play for 57 consecutive years before her death in 2014. She was awarded an M.B.E.
This version of The York Nativity Play Cycle was made in 1930 by E. Martin Browne. The text was revised in 1952, after E. Martin Brown’s experience in producing the York Mystery Cycle Plays. It is this 1952 edition that we perform at Aldermaston. E. Martin Browne had a long career in religious drama producing the revival of the Mystery Cycle in York in 1951, 1954 & 1957.
It is likely that E Martin Browne used a copy of the manuscripts published in 1885 by Lucy Tomlin Smith.
The adaptation of text from nine of the Mystery Cycle plays forms The York Nativity Play. It was designed for performance in a church with multiple staged areas.
The 9 plays adapted are:
