Play: Everyman - in context

Everyman, I will go with thee and be thy guide,
In thy most need to go by thy side.

So says the character Knowledge (spiritual discernment) to the eponymous hero of Everyman in the most famous quote of this medieval morality play.

A new version of Everyman is currently playing to sell-out audiences at the National Theatre. Written by Carol Ann Duffy, the poet laureate, it stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Oscar-nominated for Twelve Years a Slave.

An ensemble cast perform the play with brio. The original's concerns with greed, vanity and thoughtlessness remain to the fore, and ditto the anguish of a human facing death. But to a score ranging from the Lyke-Wake Dirge to You'll Never Walk Alone, Duffy's script introduces urgent topical concerns such as homelessness and environmental destruction. Masking and a focus on glamour and bling also point to the radical uncertainty of identity and the potential shallowness of surface appearance. Duffy, who was raised Catholic, has Everyman grappling with both faith and the Act of Contrition in Latin and English.

"The original English version was firm in its Catholicism though critical of bad and hypocritical priests," says Dr Philip Crispin, a Drama academic from Hull University.

"After his initial horror at impending death, Everyman dies strengthened by the sacraments, Knowledge and his Good Deeds - who are allegorical and emblematic figures in the piece."

At the behest of the National Theatre, Dr Crispin has organised two educational events which situate Everyman in the context of Medieval history and theatre.

Members of the NT Everyman cast will perform selected extracts, and fellow experts and practitioners will investigate the richness of Medieval theatre, both sacred and profane.

'We will discuss staging, performance and symbolism; popular participation, the role of the audience, and Medieval theatre as a stepping stone to Shakespeare. It would be ideal for all interested in art history, theatre and religion,' says Dr Crispin.

The first event, in May, was a sell-out. The second is this Thursday, 18th June, 2-5pm.

In Context: Everyman - Medieval Theatre and Morality Plays at The National Theatre, Clore Learning Centre.

For more information see: www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/discover/learning-events/in-context-everyman---medieval-theatre-and-morality-plays