The Annunciation and The Second Shepherds' Play

November 18-20, 2015

Denney Hall 311

Lord Denney’s Players’ second production, The Annunciation and The Second Shepherds' Play of The Wakefield Cycle, premiered on November 18, 2015, and ran for three nights. The play featured the acting talents of Ohio State undergraduates, graduate students, staff, faculty and alumni. The production was directed by English Professor Richard Green.

Four cycles of biblical plays (from the Creation to Doomsday) survive from late medieval England, of which the one from the small Yorkshire town of Wakefield is arguably the best; it is particularly distinguished by the work of an anonymous playwright, often called the Wakefield Master, who was responsible for six of its thirty plays, including two Nativity Plays. The second of these, The Second Shepherds’ Play, is often said to be the finest example of English medieval theater, combining broad farce with a tender devotional scene at the end. Also from the cycle, the Annunciation tells the story of the Incarnation and, like The Second Shepherds’ Play, combines tender devotion and farce.

Videos↓

Full production: The Annunciation and The Second Shepherds' Play

Cast and Crew↓

Cast | The Annunciation

• God—Richard Green, Humanities Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus
• Gabriel—Mike Bierschenk, Educational Technologist in the English department
• Mary—Aliyah Cohen, Junior majoring in Psychology and English
• Joseph—Micah Rickerson, PhD student in English

Cast | The Second Shepherds’ Play

• Coll — Ryan Heitkamp, Alum, BA in Theatre and Communication
• Garcio — Henry Griffy, Alum, PhD in English
• Gib —Tony Harper, Junior majoring in English
• Daw— Patrick Esguerra, Senior majoring in English and philosoph
• Mak — Antony Shuttleworth, Assistant Professor in the English department
• Gill — Annie McAlpine, Alum, BA in English and Linguistics
• Gabriel — Mike Bierschenk, Educational Technologist in the English department
• Mary — Aliyah Cohen, Junior majoring in Psychology and English

CREW

• Director—Richard Green, Humanities Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus
• Assistant Director—Micah Rickerson, PhD student in English
• Costumes—Gramaprilly @ Etsy
• Light Design—Kabrina Thompson and Kari Fletcher