Fiona Lindsay and a panel of play-makers join in the table talk with the actors and director as they begin work bringing the York Mystery Plays from page to stage.

Fiona has spent much of her career working at the RSC with actors, writers and directors as they gather round the table to begin work getting a classic text to its feet and looking for new insights and connections in classic texts for contemporary audiences.

Though they have been performed regularly since the 1300s, it's only the second time in their near-700 year history that the York Mystery Plays have been staged in the Minster itself. It's an epic production, with many hundreds involved, including a large community cast of non-professional actors, joining the professional lead actor, Phillip McGinley playing Jesus Christ.

Joining Fiona Lindsay as they focus their work on the staging of The Crucifixion are the writer and adaptor Mike Poulton, who recently wrote the acclaimed stage version of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies for the RSC, actor Philip McGinley whose credits include Game of Thrones and seasons at the National Theatre, and Director Phillip Breen. They read the text out loud for each other and try out exercises to try and find surprising new insights into the greatest story ever told.

In what new ways can this play compel a modern audience?

A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4. Show less