Boat Building

The following video shows the ammount of time and effort that goes into building a boat. The video is a time lapse of 4 months of work to be build what is truthfully a tiny boat relative to the Ark.  Even a boat of this size takes an incedible amount of work. Allow your characters to realize the exactly how much work God is asking of Noah in the story.
Boat Time Lapse

Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding - Time Lapse. Youtube. Web. 8 Dec. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QeRt9PPy00&feature=related>.

Location, Location, Location

It is important to realize where this play takes place. The story of Noah occurs in the Middle East. While we dont know the exact locaton it can be assumed it lies somewhere in the fertile crescent, which can bee seen below.

 For our purposes the play will be set on the plains of Syria. Plains which would look something like the picture below, without any modern homes of course.

Photograph. Early World History. Web. 8 Dec. 2010. <http://www.public.iastate.edu/~cfford/fertile%20crescent.jpg>.

Syrian Plains. Photograph. Flickr. 25 Aug. 2006. Web. 8 Dec. 2010. <http://farm1.static.flickr.com/70/226457482_44d9e1b1c4.jpg>.

Straight to the Source

I have already requested that you all read the York Cycle of plays. Now I would like you to familiarize yourself with their source material. Please follow the link below and read Genesis Chapters 6-9 from the NIV translation of the Bible. These chapters relate the story of Noah. They describe the wickedness of the world and the goodness of Noah and his family. I would also encourage you to read the remainder of Genesis for background information but at the very least read the selected chapters. An understanding of the Bible is critical to the production of any piece of the York Cycle.
Genesis Chapters 6-9

Moses. "Genesis Chapters 6-9." NIV Bible. Hodder & Stoughton, 2008. Print.

One Big Boat

The Ark described in the story is huge. It was three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. Given that a cubit is approximately 18 inches this would make the Ark 450 ft long, 75 ft wide, and 45 ft high. That means 3 stories high with a deck area of approximately 36 tennis courts. In the image above you see a modern replica of the Ark by Dutchman Johan Huibers. As you can see it is quite large.  The real surprise is that it is not even half the size of the full Ark according to the Bible.  He built the Ark as tourist attraction. Please watch the video below so you can better perceive the size of the Ark. Be sure to watch all the way through as the final pan of the ship will truly show its scale.
Ark Replica

 Moses. "Genesis Chapters 6-9." NIV Bible. Hodder & Stoughton, 2008. Print.

The Dutch "Noah's Ark", Ark Van Noach. Perf. Ruth Liptrot. Youtube. Five News, 29 Aug. 2007. Web. 8 Dec. 2010. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rl9oFHRJ6kE>.

Photograph. Daily Mail. 30 Apr. 2007. Web. 8 Dec. 2010. <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-451746/Noahs-Ark-ready-floods-Holland.html>.

Bad Translation

The York Cycle is not written in modern English. As such the version we are perfroming has been modified to be comprehensible to modern theatre goers. However, this has led to some poor translation work. For example this line: "Thus shall I join it with a pin, and set it snugly with cement." The script references cement as a binder but cement was not invented until later. The first cement appeared in the form of concrete during Greek and Roman rule (ORO Concrete). This was hundreds if not thousands of years later. It is important to have a script flow and rhyme, but this should not be done at the expense of accuracy to history.

"concrete" A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. James Stevens Curl. Oxford University Press 2006. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. Central Washington University. 8 December 2010 <http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.html?subview=Main&entry=t1.e1128>

In Support of the Literal Noah

My previous entry provided evidence based on the view of a mythical Noah, a man who inspired a legend. I now wish to provide you with evidence for a literal Noah. A number of Christian scholars have attempted through modern research methods to prove the truth of the story of Noah. Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study is a book by John Woodmorappe examining the claims of the story of Noah for factualness. The following website provides and excellent summary of Woodmorappe's arguments. Again, I ask that all of you, regardless of religious standing, examine this material.
Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study


Woodmorappe, John. Noah's Ark: a Feasibility Study. Santee, CA: Institute for Creation Research, 1996. Print.

Browning, Jason D. "Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study." Examined - Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study. 1997. Web. 08 Dec. 2010. <http://mall.turnpike.net/C/cs/ark/sld001.htm>.

In Support of the Mythical Noah

Many modern scholars view the story of Noah as a myth based upon actual ancient events, including a flood. Discovery Channel has created a documentary attempting to discover any possible historical evidence of a flood. There goal was to find the roots of the flood myth and the man behind the legend of Noah. A large portion of the documentary is spent disproving the story of Noah as anything more than an ancient myth. Regardless of your personal religious beliefs please watch the documentary. My next post will be in defense of the story of Noah as factual truth. The documentary can be seen in 6 parts in the following locations:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

Noah's Ark: The True Story. Discovery Channel. Television.

The Importance of Proper Construction

Good communication is essential when constructing something. When spending over 100 years on a single project, good communication from the start is crucial. This is why God phrases things the way he does when speaking with Noah. This is discussed in a relatively short journal article I would like you to read. Understanding communication now will help you to grasp the gravity of what God is trying to communicate to Noah.
Journal Article

Tools of the Shipwright

Noah stands as the ancient grandmaster of shipwrights. As the Ark will be constructed during the course of the show it is important to understand the tools you will be utilizing.  They each are necessary for the construction of a wooden ship and would have been used by Noah and his sons in the construction of the Ark. By far the most important tool of the shipwright was the adze. "The tool, though part of the equipment of the carpenter, was far more generally and conspicuously used by the shipwright" (Mercer 92). The adze is used to shape beams and slim them down to their proper widths. Please peruse the images and content in the book linked bellow to further educate your selves about ancient tools.

Ancient Carpenter's Tools

Mercer, Henry Chapman. Ancient Carpenters' Tools: Together with Lumbermen's, Joiners' and Cabinet Makers' Tools in Use in the Eighteenth Century. Doylestown, PA: Horizon, Published for the Bucks County Historical Society, 1975. Print.

The Shipwrigths Play: The Building of the Ark

 It is important that you familiarize your self with the script before rehearsals begin. As such I have included a link to the version we will be using below. In addition I have included a link to the rest of the York Cycle of plays. Please read and familiarize yourself with as many other scripts as possible as we will be cross referencing them. In particular, please focus on those plays centered on the old testament. Please also be sure to read play number 9, the Flood.

The Shipwrights Play
The York Cycle

"The York Plays: A Modernization." Records of Early English Drama (REED). Web. 08 Dec. 2010. <http://www.reed.utoronto.ca/yorkplays/york.html#pag>.