Folk Play News and Updates, September 2013

Recent additions to the Master Mummers website, and folk play news from elsewhere.

International Mummers Festival

• 3rd International Mummers Festival 2013
  http://www.mummersunconvention.com/?page_id=595
  This year, the Festival moves to Gloucester, 13-15th December 2013
  • Call for Papers for the Symposium
    http://www.mummersunconvention.com/?page_id=1195
    Presentations, illustrations, or simply talks of 10 to 20 minutes wanted from practicing mummers, and from researchers.
• Presentations from Previous Symposia

  Full texts of all the presentations are now available for download:

  • 2011 Symposium - https://folkplay.info/resources/conference/2011-11
  • 2012 Symposium - https://folkplay.info/resources/conference/2012-11
• Festival Photographs
  • Bath International Mummers Festival 2012
    http://www.mastermummers.org/bath2012/mummers-photos.htm
    A selection of pictures of performers and workshops at the festival, November 2012
  • Bath International Mummers Symposium 2012
    http://www.mastermummers.org/bath2012/symposium-photos.htm
    Pictures of speakers at the symposium held in association with the festival

"The Full English"

• Digital Archive Launched by the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library
  
  
  http://www.vwml.org.uk/vwml-projects/vwml-the-full-english
  Digital archive of over 58,400 items from 12 major manuscript collections from seven major archives, in particular the English Folk Dance and Song Society. Apart from the T.Fairman Ordish Collection (which unfortunately does not include Andrew Bennett's transcripts), the main focus is on folk song, dance and music, although the latter collections do contain some folk plays.

New Review

• Book Review: 'Yesterday's Country Customs: A History of Traditional English Folklore' by Henry Buckton.
  http://www.mastermummers.org/articles/Review-Buckton.htm
  A snapshot of English customs as they exist today, including mumming.

Peter Millington