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The Building
of Noah's Ark

Can you create your own?
To help you get started, a modern-spelling script can be downloaded by clicking here.

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The eighth play from the York Corpus Christi Plays deals with the Building of the Ark by Noah. It is based on the sixth Chapter of Genesis. Appropriately, the play was originally performed by the Guild of Shipwrights. Although the measurements are the same as in the biblical account- three hundred cubits long, fifty broad, thirty deep- the method of building is closely based on the clinker-built boats that were familiar on the medieval rivers in York. It is likely that the Shipwrights used the play as a demonstration of their skills.

The play (and its partnered Flood) are immensely popular in performance. However, it is unusual for the Ark to be built on stage, instead being rolled on or pushed together from pre-fabricated parts. In  many cases, the ark is instead built by Noah's helpers, leaving him free to describe the process. The ship-building trade has long since been abandoned in York, although in a theatrical echo, an Arts Barge is being restored once more.

The original script, in 15th Century Middle English, can be found here, courtesy of Prof. Clifford Davidson and the University of Rochester's TEAMS Middle English Text Series.

Watch an adaptation by Tom Straszewski:
Young girl and boy in 1940s clothing. The boy is eating an apple as the girl grins and watches.
Noah's Ark, performed in King's Square as an auxiliary performance to the Museum Gardens plays (1954)
Picture
The Oseberg Ship, Oslo, demonstrating the clinker-clad design described in the script.
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