The Medieval Players Archive

The Medieval Players were a professional touring company which grew out of The Cambridge Medieval Players in the early 1970s. Under the direction of Carl Heap and Dick McCaw, they toured a number of plays from the English and Continental medieval and early modern repertoire, as well as dramatic adaptations of works such as Piers Plowman and The Marriage of Panurge.

The Medieval Players’ devised an eclectic artistic policy inspired by the travelling entertainers of the Middle Ages. Productions characteristically involved acrobatics, stilt-walking, fire-eating, juggling, singing, dancing, and full and direct engagement with the audience. The company was wound up in the early 1990s.

On disbanding, the Medieval Players presented their archive to Professors Meg Twycross and Pamela King. It contains posters, programmes, press-cuttings, fan (and hate) mail, videos and tour schedules as well as account books and grant applications. A vital record of the fluctuating fortunes of a 1980's touring company and its struggle for survival.  It is now lodged with the University of Bristol Theatre Collection where it has been catalogued to item level as a part of the 2MP project.

For all inquiries please contact: theatre-collection@bristol.ac.uk