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How did popular entertainers keep theatrical skills alive during the Middle Ages?
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Western theatre
Anubis weighing the soul of the scribe Ani, from the Egyptian Book of the Dead, c. 1275 bce.
During the Middle Ages, theatrical skills were preserved primarily by wandering popular entertainers who traveled alone or in small groups throughout Europe. These performersāincluding mimes, acrobats, dancers, animal trainers, jugglers, wrestlers, minstrels, and storytellersākept the tradition of performance alive by relying on memory and improvisation, as most were unable to write down their music or scripts.12
These entertainers maintained their craft through several methods:
- Patronage: By the late Middle Ages, many found more stable employment at royal courts and in the households of the nobility, where they performed music, song, and drama at festivities.12
- Guilds: In the 14th and 15th centuries, the development of minstrel guilds in European towns provided formal training, ensured work, and required members to practice together regularly.2
- Minstrel Schools: During periods such as Lent, when public entertainment was restricted, minstrels often visited specialized schools to learn new tunes and exchange techniques with colleagues.2
- Folk Traditions: Mimetic elements were also preserved through folk plays, ritual dances (such as the Morris dance), and seasonal festivals, which provided a communal foundation for performance that eventually influenced more formal theatrical developments.1