ScholarWorks > Arts & Sciences > English > COMPDR > Vol. 27 (1993) > Iss. 1
The Illegal Immigration of Medieval Drama to California
Abstract
In lieu of an abstract, the first paragraph of the essay follows:
There are few less likely places to look for indigenous medieval drama than in Southern California in the late twentieth century. Yet at Christmastime one can actually experience this phenomenon, amid the palm trees, sunshine, and Santa Clauses on surfboards, in the form of the Pastorela, a shepherds' play spoken and sung in a mixture of English and Spanish (both of the local variety) by community and professional groups. The story the play enacts is the familiar biblical encounter between shepherds and angels on the first Christmas Eve, culminating in the shepherds' visit to the holy Child, and its theological dramaturgy betrays many clear connections--even at this distance-with the medieval religious drama.
Recommended Citation
Potter, Robert
(1993)
"The Illegal Immigration of Medieval Drama to California,"
Comparative Drama: Vol. 27:
Iss.
1, Article 10.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/compdr/vol27/iss1/10