Everyman - Fall 2021

 Everyman is one of the most well known morality play. It originated in the 16th century, but is still performed widely around professional theatres as well as college theatres today. Everyman gives the audience as well as the production crew a moral check. It ties strongly to the Christian religion and uses it as a symbolic tool; to show we are too attached to our worldly possessions, and when we die none of it will come with you in the afterlife. As we as a community develop we rely more and more on technology. While you may not be Christian, this show still has a positive timeless theme. As people we should focus more on doing good deeds then worldly possessions.   Everyman has had dozens of modern adaptions done since the 16th century. The most recent adaption was at the national theatre in 2015. (adapted by Carol Ann Duffy) Another adaptation that is very popular in Australia and is performed every year for  the Salzburg festival,  "Jederman."  (a...

  THE STAGE:          "Everyman" when it first was being performed, was done so on a neutral platform stage. These would be outside usually with the use of a pageant wagon. There would be one background scenery drop, and about four stationary areas on the side of the stage. The most important part was the stage itself. The stationary areas, or mansions, were very distinct locations. The neutral stage was not, it basically existed everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It was a dead space so actors could go from one location to another. An idea still used in many plays to this day.  COSTUMES:          Mid 15th century attire, most of the male characters in this play wear the same fashion style.  With long sleeves and skirts, and capes. Some different attributes added from character to character, like a sword. The female characters(played by male actors) would be wearing long dresses. All of which were ...

  Everyman was a morality play that came about in 1530 and was written by an anonymous writer. Morality plays were popular in 15th and 16th century Europe, the most popular being Everyman. They used allegorical stories to teach a moral message, underpinned by Christian teachings. The characters personified abstract qualities of good and evil, ending in an engagement in a battle to win the soul of the 'mankind' figure.  Everyman has a reckoning of good and evil. It is used to count the good and bad deeds done by Everyman to determine if he’s going to Heaven or Hell. Everyman bargains with Death to allow him to bring a companion with him to death. Everyman has all these sins, that he thought were friends, turning out to not be friends at all as he searches for a companion to go with him to death, and to hopefully end up with God in heaven. Good Deeds is the only good soul that is willing to die with Everyman to get to heaven with a companion, but she is not healthy enou...

The characters in Everyman are extremely straightforward, as all of the names of each individual character reflects who they are portraying in terms of morality. Some characters are simply labels for actual beings- such as “Cousin” or “Kindred”, representing Everyman’s family, while others, like Good Deeds and Strength, are simply allegorical characters used to represent the livelihood of our main character, Everyman. The character and story of Everyman reflects the popularity of Morality plays in 15th and 16th century Europe, which reflected Christian teachings. Commonly characters such as Justice and Equity were personified as actors, so the characterization of the people in this show was not too far off from that of other morality plays. Everyman is our main character, and is supposed to embody just that- the whole of humanity. Throughout the show, his life unfolds in a semi-backwards way, as we are able to see where he fell short, morally, in things like Good Deeds and Strength. S...