Poculi Ludique Societas

PLS, or Poculi Ludique Societas, the Medieval & Renaissance Players of Toronto, sponsors productions of early plays, from the beginnings of medieval drama (see mystery plays) to as late as the middle of the seventeenth century.

The group had its origins in 1965-6 in a seminar on medieval drama conducted at the University of Toronto. Now independent, the PLS operates in affiliation with the university's Centre for Medieval Studies (CMS), offering a regular schedule of plays every year.

The PLS has toured in Canada, the United States and Europe. The PLS also collaborates with the theatre history research project Records of Early English Drama (REED) at the University of Toronto.

PLS Productions, 1964-2005

1964"Everyman"

1965"Wit and Science" by John Redford; "St. George Mummer's Play"; Towneley "Secunda Pastorum"

1966"Gammer Gurton's Needle"; "Mankynde"; "A Christmas Revelles"

1967"The Play of David";Coventry "Pageant of Shearman and Taylors";"Ralph Roister Doister" by Nicholas Udall;York "Crucifixion Sequence"

1968"Cambises" by Thomas Preston;"Like Will to Like" by Ulpian Fulwell;Towneley "Secunda Pastorum";Towneley "Cain and Abel, Noah"

1969"The Digby Play of St. Mary Magdalene";
N-Town "Adoration of the Magi, Death of Herod";Towneley "Slaughter of the Innocents", "Flight into Egypt";Chester "Creation of the World, Noah's Flood";"Hycke Scorner"

1970"The Somonyng of Everyman";"Planctus Mariae";"More Dissemblers besides Women" by Thomas Middleton;"Mankynde";"The Four PP" by John Heywood;Towneley "Prima Pastorum"

1971"The Imposture" by James Shirley;"Johan Johan" by John Heywood, and "Once More""Pericles" by William Shakespeare;"Lancelot of Denmark" and "Dame Sirith";Three Towneley "Nativity Pageants"

1972"Filius Getronis";Towneley "Mactacio Abel, Noah";"Witt and Wisdome";"Pleasure Reconciled to Virtue" by Ben Jonson;N-Town "Assumption of the Virgin";Towneley "Last Judgment"

1973"A Re-enactment of the Coronation and the Mass of Henry V";York "Baptism", "Temptation";N-Town "Women Taken in Adultery, Colifizacio, Scourging, Crucifixion";"The Franklin's Tale, The Washtub"1974"Fulgens and Lucrece";Towneley "The Talents", "The Resurrection";"Officium in Nocte Resurrectionis", "Music at the Time of Petrarch";"Pierre Pathelin";Towneley "Secunda Pastorum", York "Herod Plays"

1975"Magnyfycence" by John Skelton;"The Sport of the Friar, The Sport of the Drunken Monk" by King Mahendra;"Arden of Faversham"

1976"Sampson Dux Fortissime";Bassingham "Mummer's Play";"The Dance of Death" by John Lydgate;Towneley "Judgement"

1977"Two Cain and Abel Plays" (Chester and Towneley);"Visitatio Sepulchri";"Mankynde";"The York Cycle" (48 separate pageants)

1978"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare;"Johan Johan" by John Heywood;"The Dead Man", "The Hot Iron" and "The Stolen Shrovetide Cock" by Hans Sachs;"Nice Wanton";"A Mummer's Play";"A Renaissance High Mass"

1979"Much Ado About Nothing" by William Shakespeare;"A Winter's Revels";"The Castle of Perseverance";"13th Century Spanish Music";"The World and the Child"

1980"The Blessed Apple Tree";"The Taming of the Shrew" by William Shakespeare;"Robin Hood and the Friar";Towneley "Murder of Abel", "Abraham and Isaac";"Brome Abraham"

1981"Tom Tyler and His Wife";"The Toronto Passion Play";"Hyde Park" by James Shirley

1982"Ralph Roister Doister" by Nicholas Udall;Towneley "Noah and Secunda Pastorum";"Fool Surgery";"The Pie and the Tart";"Johan Johan" (puppet production);"Edward II" by Christopher Marlowe;"The Fleury Slaughter of the Innocents";"Aminta" by Torquato Tasso

1983"The Play of Daniel";"The Chester Cycle of Mystery Plays" (24 separate pageants);"Wit and Science" by John Redford

1984"La Calandria";"Doctor Faustus" by Christopher Marlowe;"Man's Desire and Fleeting Beauty";Coventry "Christmas Plays"

1985N-Town "Death of Herod";"The Dead Husband""The Comedy of Errors" by William Shakespeare;"The Towneley Cycle of Mystery Cycles" (32 separate pageants);"Wealth and Health";Towneley "Nativity Sequence"

1986"The Nun Who Left Her Abbey";"Watkins Ale";"Confessions of Rifflart";"King John" by William Shakespeare;York "Nativity Sequence"

1987"A Fourteenth Century Easter Matins""Sir Gawain and the Green Knight"

1988"The N-Town Pageants: A Medieval History of the World" (21 separate pageants);"Homo";"Like Will to Like" by Ulpian Fulwell;"The Presentation of the Virgin" by Phillipe de Mezieres

1989"Gammer Gurton's Needle";"The Quack Dentist"

1990"The Feast of St. Ursula: Lauds and hymns of Hildegard von Bingen";"Everyman";"Jesuskind: Christmas Vespers and Procession"

1991"A Looking Glasse for London and England" by Thomas Lodge and Robert Greene;"Wisdom";"No Wit, No Help Like a Woman's" by Thomas Middleton;"Jesuskind: Christmas Vespers and Procession";"Youth" and "Hickscorner"

1992N-Town "Assumption of the Virgin";"Robin Hood and the Friar"

1993"Le Jeu de Robin et Marion";"The Widow's Tears" by George Chapman

1994"The Digby Conversion of St. Paul";"A Mery Play betwene Johan Johan the Husbande, Tib his wife, and Sir Johan the Preest";"A Yorkshire Tragedy"

1995"Mankind";"Occupacion and Ydelnesse";Four episodes from the York Cycle: "Annunciation, Joseph's Troubles, Nativity, Shepherds";"The Play of Daniel" (Joint production with The Toronto Consort)

1996Three episodes from the York Cycle: "Fall and Expulsion, Temptation of Christ, Crucifixion";"Antony and Cleopatra" by William Shakespeare;N-Town "Trial of Joseph and Mary" and Towneley "Second Shepherds' Play";"The Wandering Scholar from Paradise" by Hans Sachs

1997The Joy of Sachs: "The Doctor with the Big Nose", "The Wandering Scholar from Paradise", "The Stolen Shrovetide Cock";Towneley "Noah's Ark";"Gammer Gurton's Needle"

1998"The York Cycle" (48 separate plays);Coventry "Shearmen and Taylors' Pageant";"The Spanish Tragedy" by Thomas Kyd

1999Chester "Antichrist" (modern-dress);"The Woman In the Moone" by John Lyly

2000"Arden of Feversham"

2001"Aminta" by Torquato Tasso (co-production with University of Toronto Graduate Centre for Study of Drama );"The Conversion of the Harlot Thais" by Hroswitha of Gandersheim;"Robin Hood and the Friar"

2002"Troilus and Cressida" by William Shakespeare

2003"The Digby Mary Magdalene";"The World and the Child";The Chester Shepherds

2004"The Chester Antichrist";"The Old Wives Tale" by George Peele;"Don Juan, Ladykiller of Seville";"The Second Shepherd's Play" and "Officium Stellae"

2005"Friar Bacon and Friar Bungay" by Robert Greene;"Joseph's Trouble About Mary" and "Jesuskind: Christmas Vespers and Procession"

2006"Jesuskind" and "The York Nativity"

ee also

* Mystery plays
* Medieval theatre
* Easter drama
* Passion play
* Wakefield Cycle - a collection of thirty-two mystery plays performed in medieval and early Renaissance England.
* York Mystery Plays - a collection of forty-eight mystery plays
* Shakespeare
* English Renaissance theatre
* The Queen's Men - Queen Elizabeth I's playing company

External links

* [http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~plspls/intro.html Poculi Ludique Societas (PLS)] -- official website
* [http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/medieval/ Centre for Medieval Studies (CMS)] at the University of Toronto
* [http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~reed/reed.html Records of Early English Drama (REED)] at Victoria University of the University of Toronto
* [http://www.reed.utoronto.ca/QueensMen/index.html Shakespeare and the Queen's Men (SQM)] theatre project at the University of Toronto