In Andrea Boboc's article, Lay Performances of Work and Salvation in the York Cycle, she discusses the use of work within some of the York plays. She also discusses the purpose of the guilds, and what they did with the performances.
The plays' emphasis on individual salvation and individual responseibility may explain their popularity at the vanguard of the Reformation. By highlighting work and salvation as core Christian values the plays avoid touching on controversial doctrinal points, to which a Protestant audience would have been resistant. In fact, focusing on individuals (as members of a community) and their ideals of work and salvation may well be one secret to the staying power of these plays (boboc, 266)
In this she is showing us that originally the plays were not meant to bring people into the catholic church, because the protestant sect was wide spread (and probably made up a good deal of the guilds) and pushing full catholic values in the play would alienate a good size of the audience.
With our production we're not trying to "say this is the way it was" or push christian values on anyone, but we're simply trying to enjoy a piece of theatre history.
Andreea Boboc. "Lay Performances of Work and Salvation in the York Cycle." Comparative Drama 43.2 (2009): 247-71. Print.
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