The Bradshaw Mummers

Who we are:

The Bradshaw Mummers are a street theatre group, performing traditional and contemporary plays based on the medieval mumming traditions of death and re-birth and the triumph of good over evil.

Although most of their scripts are written by members of the group, the performances combine both old and new with the emphasis on entertainment - presenting the plays to modern-day audiences while remaining faithful to the origins of a unique form of theatre including the blacking of faces, echoing the tradition that actors believed themselves cursed by the Devil if they were recognised.

Our History:

The team dates from Christmas 1972, when five regulars of the Bradshaw Tavern Folk Club on the outskirts of Halifax in West Yorkshire - Frank Toward, Jimmy Reddington, Andy Clarke, Tony Sweeby and Phil Lyon - got together to perform a mumming play for the club’s New Year’s Eve party.

Branching out, they began appearing at other clubs, village fetes, festivals etc. and over the subsequent 30 years have gone on to develop a unique style based on colourful costume, any visual or verbal gag that emerges from the chaotic mid-winter rehearsal schedule, plus some explosive special effects from their resident pyromaniac.

Of the original famous five, only Tony Sweeby still acts out with the team although Phil Lyon acts as the team’s organiser.

Total membership stands at 14 actors and musicians - over 30 have performed with the side since 1972 - and our track record includes appearances at many major festivals including Chester, Alcester, Middlewich, Clitheroe, Beverley, Upton-on-Severn, Warwick and Bromyard plus the Royal Armouries in Leeds and Bradford Industrial Museum.

Our Plays:

For practical reasons, only two of the team’s 15+ scripts are ever current. While the full list includes a handful of traditional plays, the majority are self-written and include such diverse subjects as the Battle of Trafalgar, the Civil War Siege of Bradford, John Bull, the Spanish Armada, Robin Hood, the Witchfinder General and Grass Green plus a wide range of characters ranging from Roman generals to a 15 foot high giant, an exploding dragon, an elephant with a fondness for buns and a rebellious boar’s head.

The 2008 programme features the following:-

The Robin Hood Play:

Robin Hood has been one of this country's most recognised and marketable historical characters for centuries and, while John Scrimshaw's Bradshaw version does differ in certain widely held facts (quite a lot of them if we're being honest), we reckon we're off the hook since nobody can be sure if he existed at all. So there! No Maid Marian - we couldn't find anybody with decent legs - or a Sheriff of Nottingham (see above) but one of the cast is dressed in green. And, no, it isn't Kermit.

The Invasion Play:

It's one of the great misconceptions of History that when Julius Caesar landed in Britain in 55BC he said "I Came, I Saw, I Conquered". What he actually meant to say was "In Comes I". Proof, if t'were needed comes in this, Bradshaw's very own slant on all things ancient, including a bolshy British tribal leader, Caractacus, more Romans than you can shake a toga at, a fluid Druid and a rather fetching elephant with a fondness for buns.

Each play has a two-year lifespan. The Invasion Play is currently in its second season and will be ‘retired’ at the end of 2008. The Robin Hood Play will continue into 2009 when it will be joined by another play from Bradshaw's extensive portfolio.

An Evening with the Bradshaw Mummers:

Drawn as it is from folk club regulars, the team also includes several experienced singers and musicians and Bradshaw can offer not only mumming plays but a full evening’s entertainment utilising the musical talents of its members.

This usually takes the form of two 45 minute sets, each including one play plus various songs and tunes as may be required. Please ask for details.

Where to see us in 2008:

Correct at April 2008 (Things do Change!)

April	20th	Oakwell Hall, Batley
May	16th - 18th	Shepley Village Festival
	23rd - 26th	Chester Folk Festival
June	21st - 22nd	Beverley Folk Festival
July	11th - 13th	Ely Folk Festival
	19th	Saddleworth Folk Festival
September	^{6th - 7th}	Sowerby Bridge Rushbearing Festival
	12th - 14th	Bromyard Folk Festival