2002 Season - Genesius Guild

The Religious Theatre of Henri Gheon

Henri Gheon lived in France in the first half of the 20th Century. His career in the theatre was built on re-writing medieval miracle plays. These works were designed to be presented without sets and with minimal props. The Genesius Guild's first two performances (1957) will be revived in this production of one-act plays:

"The Parade At the Devil's Bridge"

A pious hermit lives with his cat on an island. He tries to build a bridge to the mainline so that he can minister to the people on the mainland, but every night, the devil destroys what the hermit builds during the day.

In despair, the hermit makes a bargain with the devil, from which he is delivered by his cat.

"The Miracle of St. Nicholas and the Three School Clerks"

This five-minute work dates from the Medieval times and is presented to demonstrate how Gheon adapted such plays for modern audiences. A greedy inn-keeper kills three school clerks and grinds their bodies into sausage. St. Nicholas appears and restores them to life.

"The Sausage-Maker's Interlude"

In this play, Gheon expands the medieval work, turning the original plot into a commentary on our contemporary obsession with ever-increasing productivity and profiteering.