About the project
The History Plays project was born of the conviction that learning about the past can be an activity that is rigorous, rewarding, relevant — and fun. This is especially true when human stories take centre stage in historical enquiry. All the plays here feature real people, whose extraordinary stories help us understand our past, and open up questions about how we should live today.
Each script is based on historical research and comes with introductory slides that lay out the historical context for the plays, and includes follow-up questions for discussion and writing activities after the performance.
Who are we?
Mark Kauntze is a history teacher in Bristol, who spent many years studying medieval theories about the creation of the universe. His proudest historical achievement is to have decoded a cryptic passage in a thirteenth-century Latin manuscript about the health benefits of cabbage. You can buy his very reasonably priced book about this and other important matters from the publisher Brill.
Martin Hargreaves is the artist behind The History Plays project. He studied illustration at Brighton Polytechnic, and has been working as a freelance illustrator for over 30 years. He now lives in a very rural cottage in East Sussex with his wife and various animals. You can see more of his work at IllustrationX.
Get involved!
If you would like to help with the writing or translating of scripts, to suggest a subject for a play, or to give feedback on how you have used these resources, please email mkauntze@gmail.com