Medieval theatre refers to
theatrical performance in the period between the fall of the
Western Roman Empire in the 5th century A.D. and the beginning of the
Renaissance in approximately the 15th century A.D. Medieval Theatre covers all drama produced in Europe over that thousand-year period and refers to a variety of genres, including
liturgical drama,
mystery plays,
morality plays,
farces and
masques. Beginning with
Hrosvitha of Gandersheim in the 10th century, Medieval drama was for the most part very religious and moral in its themes, staging and traditions. The most famous examples of Medieval plays are the English cycle dramas, the
York Mystery Plays, the
Chester Mystery Plays, the
Wakefield Mystery Plays and the
N-Town Plays, as well as the
morality play,
Everyman.