| Where: | Countrywide |
| When: | From late November to New Year |
| Time: | Afternoons & evenings depending on group |
One of the traditional seasons for performers to put on a mummers play is around Christmas time, partly because it’s the season of goodwill and hopefully the audiences will be generous in their largesse, and partly because it can be a tough time of year to make ends meet. Nowadays groups usually collect for a local charity rather than for their own needs, and groups around the country act out the old plays in which the hero fights a challenger and slays him, the doctor revives the challenger and a range of other characters have a moment in the spotlight. The cast list varies from one region to another, but the basic plot is retained though frequently adapted to include current references to bring the play up-to-date. Some groups perform in tatters with costumes completely obscuring the identity of the actors, while others have special outfits appropriate to their role, and performance dates can be from late November up to New Year. Similar performances also take place around early November in the North West in the Soul Caking tradition, and around Plough Monday, particularly in the East Midlands, and Easter (see separate articles for details). Mummers seem to be an unruly lot, and it can be tricky to pin down exactly when and where they’re likely to turn up so follow the links below for details. A number of them are on this site like Marshfield Paper Boys and Greatham Sword Dance, both of whom perform on Boxing Day, and the Hoodening tradition in the South East is a related Christmas tradition (see St Nicholas Mummers). the plays are usually light-hearted and somewhat anarchic- and a lot of fun!
Helpful Hints
The plays are usually short (less than half-an-hour- sometimes much less!) and may be performed in pubs or out of doors depending on the group. Some areas of the country have a much stronger tradition and frequency of performances than others.
Upcoming performances may be found here: http://www.mastermummers.org
Many morris and folk-dancing sides use the winter season to put on plays of this kind- for a guide to these groups click here: https://themorrisring.org
and here:https://www.morrisfed.org.uk
and here for lots of useful links, particularly good for the South of England: https://www.mumming.net/almanac.htm
The phots are of the Shakespeare Mummers (part of Shakespeare Morris) at the Stratford upon Avon Victorian Christmas Market; they perform frequently throughout the year. Click here for their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ShakespeareMorris
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