Is your Giant or Beast still active or has it retired?
Still active
Description: Goyle Cornett – Joyful, innocent, and full of festive cheer. Embodies childlike wonder and excitement for the seasonal holidays. Gestures/Mannerisms: Playful and whimsical, with exaggerated, clown- like motions to convey a sense of abundance and fun. Role: A central figure of joy and unity, tragically slain during the chaos but later revived as a symbol of hope and renewal.
Vogum Gertlin • A pantomime villain, arrogant and brutish, but with a campy, over-the top demeanour. • Gestures/Mannerisms: Menacing yet theatrical, combining a sense of self- importance with an air of brutishness. Think exaggerated villainy with a touch of comedic flair. Role: Represents disruption and chaos, initiating conflict while revelling in his own nastiness.
The Woman with the Big Head A once-heroic, self- important figure weighed down by pride and gluttony. Comic and pompous but still righteous. Gestures/Mannerisms: Slow, exaggerated movements; an inflated ego expressed through yawns, belches, and haughty expressions. Role: A foil to Vogum Gertlin, engaging in conflict but ultimately united in grief and redemption.
The Parsnabler • A chaotic, drunken deus ex machina. Not a real doctor but a mystical alewife, shaman and trickster. Gestures/Mannerisms: Playful, magical, and slightly erratic, using props like a jug of beer to perform his “cures.” Role: Brings humor and hope, reviving Goyle Cornett and resolving the conflict.
Lewis says: For the project, I was especially interested in celebrating the materiality of basketmaking during the rise of the Industrial Revolution, evoking textures and techniques that would have been familiar when these performances were at their peak. Buff willow recalls, for me, the apex of British basketry. Though less fashionable today, I think of buff as a quintessentially British material: colourful, functional, and refined for the modern working schedule. Stripped willow also communicates the industry of basketmaking and the tradition of farming within the craft. It was important that the costumes felt both sculptural and commercial, recognisable and strange. Many audience members said the costumes evoked vivid memories of baskets from daily life and shared memories of climbing in laundry baskets and playing with sticks as children.
The costumes evolved in response to character. Suits of armour, brewing barrels, musical instruments, and local legends served as jumping-off points. Traditional forms were collaged and exaggerated almost to the point of impracticality. Cyntell style frame baskets became shoulder pads, coracle and creel construction informed skirts, and one headpiece took on a Baskodenn-like quality after an inspiring visit to the Tear Up Festival. This approach also carried through into the scripting, movement, and music, where traditions and regional dialects jostled with their contemporary counterparts to create something eclectic and new.
Making Merrie was never about revival. In an age of next-day consumerism and single-use plastic, I wanted to explore how traditional ways of working might prompt a subtle renegotiation with the world around us, simply by reminding us of what we already know. Some loved the results, others found them unsettling. What mattered to me was getting hands-on with history and adapting it for today. If something could make us laugh 200 years ago, who’s to say it can’t now? We’ve all put a basket on our head at some point. We don’t know why, but somehow it makes sense.
Is there is a folktale connected to your Giant or Beast? With a 500-year history, mummers’ plays are full of humour and spontaneous revelry, traditionally staged in streets, homes, or pubs. Tales of combat, death, and revival are shaped by local quirks and improvisation. A common thread across these plays is the masking of performers, often using elaborate headpieces or face coverings—perhaps to avoid accusations of begging, or to sidestep Puritan anti-theatre laws. Many will be familiar with the Armagh Rhymers, who have long championed straw and willow-work in folk performance through bespoke masks by makers including Bob Johnston, Paul Carville, Alison Fitzgerald, Randy French, and James Mulholland. Similarly, the Worshipful Company’s Gog and Magog effigies, crafted by the BA, spectacularly demonstrate the role of basketry in celebration and ceremony. There is something so compelling about seeing skilled craft being used for fun and revelry which heightens the experience, lifting it beyond the everyday.
What Was the First Event the Giant / Beast Attended? Making Merrie culminated in performances across Wales, including Newtown, Swansea, Cardiff, and Caernarfon.
Any tales of outings/visits/strange and wonderful occurrences or special memories that should go down in History? Since The Folk Preservation Society became custodians of the Making Merrie Mummers, they have been involved in Equinox and Solstice parades. They have also attended and performed at Teignmouth Folk festival and Sidmouth Folk Festival, where The Woman With The Big Head took part in the famous Sidmouth Horse Trials.
Who Carries the Giant / Inhabits the Beast, or Is It a Shared Role? Each of the four characters are worn by members of FPS MMM Troupe who embody their character and are forever being chased and rounded up by their ostler Merry.
How is it stored? At The Folk Preservation Society, Teignmouth Devon.
Main image:Summer Solstice 26, Jack Witek, Matthew Key
Ref: 22 BFG
If you notice an error in this information, want to ask for additional details to be added or request the removal of any image or information, please contact us quoting the reference number above via email in the footer.
The Making Merrie Mummers
Location:Teignmouth
Year / Period Created
2024
Description:
Goyle Cornett – Joyful, innocent, and full of festive cheer. Embodies childlike wonder and excitement for the seasonal holidays. Gestures/Mannerisms: Playful and whimsical, with exaggerated, clown- like motions to convey a sense of abundance and fun. Role: A central figure of joy and unity, tragically slain during the chaos but later revived as a symbol of hope and renewal.
Vogum Gertlin • A pantomime villain, arrogant and brutish, but with a campy, over-the top demeanour. • Gestures/Mannerisms: Menacing yet theatrical, combining a sense of self- importance with an air of brutishness. Think exaggerated villainy with a touch of comedic flair. Role: Represents disruption and chaos, initiating conflict while revelling in his own nastiness.
The Woman with the Big Head A once-heroic, self- important figure weighed down by pride and gluttony. Comic and pompous but still righteous. Gestures/Mannerisms: Slow, exaggerated movements; an inflated ego expressed through yawns, belches, and haughty expressions. Role: A foil to Vogum Gertlin, engaging in conflict but ultimately united in grief and redemption.
The Parsnabler • A chaotic, drunken deus ex machina. Not a real doctor but a mystical alewife, shaman and trickster. Gestures/Mannerisms: Playful, magical, and slightly erratic, using props like a jug of beer to perform his “cures.” Role: Brings humor and hope, reviving Goyle Cornett and resolving the conflict.
Lewis says: For the project, I was especially interested in celebrating the materiality of basketmaking during the rise of the Industrial Revolution, evoking textures and techniques that would have been familiar when these performances were at their peak. Buff willow recalls, for me, the apex of British basketry. Though less fashionable today, I think of buff as a quintessentially British material: colourful, functional, and refined for the modern working schedule. Stripped willow also communicates the industry of basketmaking and the tradition of farming within the craft. It was important that the costumes felt both sculptural and commercial, recognisable and strange. Many audience members said the costumes evoked vivid memories of baskets from daily life and shared memories of climbing in laundry baskets and playing with sticks as children.
The costumes evolved in response to character. Suits of armour, brewing barrels, musical instruments, and local legends served as jumping-off points. Traditional forms were collaged and exaggerated almost to the point of impracticality. Cyntell style frame baskets became shoulder pads, coracle and creel construction informed skirts, and one headpiece took on a Baskodenn-like quality after an inspiring visit to the Tear Up Festival. This approach also carried through into the scripting, movement, and music, where traditions and regional dialects jostled with their contemporary counterparts to create something eclectic and new.
Making Merrie was never about revival. In an age of next-day consumerism and single-use plastic, I wanted to explore how traditional ways of working might prompt a subtle renegotiation with the world around us, simply by reminding us of what we already know. Some loved the results, others found them unsettling. What mattered to me was getting hands-on with history and adapting it for today. If something could make us laugh 200 years ago, who’s to say it can’t now? We’ve all put a basket on our head at some point. We don’t know why, but somehow it makes sense.
See more images from the performances at www.lewisprosser.com
Is there is a folktale connected to your Giant or Beast?
With a 500-year history, mummers’ plays are full of humour and spontaneous revelry, traditionally staged in streets, homes, or pubs. Tales of combat, death, and revival are shaped by local quirks and improvisation. A common thread across these plays is the masking of performers, often using elaborate headpieces or face coverings—perhaps to avoid accusations of begging, or to sidestep Puritan anti-theatre laws. Many will be familiar with the Armagh Rhymers, who have long championed straw and willow-work in folk performance through bespoke masks by makers including Bob Johnston, Paul Carville, Alison Fitzgerald, Randy French, and James Mulholland. Similarly, the Worshipful Company’s Gog and Magog effigies, crafted by the BA, spectacularly demonstrate the role of basketry in celebration and ceremony. There is something so compelling about seeing skilled craft being used for fun and revelry which heightens the experience, lifting it beyond the everyday.
What Was the First Event the Giant / Beast Attended?
Making Merrie culminated in performances across Wales, including Newtown, Swansea, Cardiff, and Caernarfon.
Since The Folk Preservation Society became custodians of the Making Merrie Mummers, they have been involved in Equinox and Solstice parades. They have also attended and performed at Teignmouth Folk festival and Sidmouth Folk Festival, where The Woman With The Big Head took part in the famous Sidmouth Horse Trials.
Who Carries the Giant / Inhabits the Beast, or Is It a Shared Role?
Each of the four characters are worn by members of FPS MMM Troupe who embody their character and are forever being chased and rounded up by their ostler Merry.
How is it stored?
At The Folk Preservation Society, Teignmouth Devon.
Maker / Creator(s)
Lewis Prosser
Ref: 22 BFG
If you notice an error in this information, want to ask for additional details to be added or request the removal of any image or information, please contact us quoting the reference number above via email in the footer.
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