International Congress on Medieval Studies

International Congress on Medieval Studies
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5432 USA
(269) 387-8745

Mostly Medieval Theatre Festival

An illustration of a black dog-like figure standing upright on two legs, wearing boots with a bell at the toes, holding a square yellow sign that reads "Mostly Medeival Theatre Festival."

Founded in 2017, the Mostly Medieval Theatre Festival (MMTF) is a performance festival showcasing and invigorating the global heritage of drama, music, dance and performance styles from late antiquity through the Renaissance. Festival productions often include shows created and performed by WMU theatre students, as well as shows brought to Kalamazoo by national and international artists, such as acclaimed TV and film actress Suzanne Savoy (Je, Christine); well-known artists of early drama and music, such as Poculi Ludique Societas and the Pneuma Ensemble; and ensembles from University of Minnesota-Duluth and Radford University, to name only a few. Please view the archive for information on past Festivals. 

The 2025 Festival features a co-production of the WMU School of Theatre and Dance and the Medieval Institute, The Book of Silence. In a new contemporary adaptation, WMU theatre professor Lofty Durham embeds the medieval adventure story of the knight who becomes a man in order to inherit his lands and title, within a modern frame story of a trans teen searching for their place in the world. The entwined quests for identity and agency give us a new appreciation for our shared humanity and its awe-inspiring diversity both today and in our medieval past. 

Tickets will go on sale exclusively through Congress registration for the first two performances, Friday May 9 and Saturday May 10. 

An figure in armor with an open help; they are looking up towards the sky. Next to them is the text "The Book of Silence" by Heldris de Cornuälle, adapted by Lofty Durham, May 9–25, presented in collaboration with the WMU Medieval Institute.


We are grateful for the support of the following sponsors: 

The Medieval Academy of America Centennial Grants 

The Michigan Arts and Culture Council 

Comparative Drama, Department of English, WMU 

College of Arts & Sciences, WMU 

Three logos next to each other. The left logo is a yellow shield with a sun & seven-pointed star in the center with the text Celebrating 100 Years 1925–2025 surrounding it; the middle logo is a large circle with smaller, multicolored circles within it and the text Michigan Arts & Culture Council to the right of it; the right logo is blue text on a white background "Comparative Drama: Devoted to studies internaional in spirit and interdisciplinary in scope."

Past Performances at MMTF

  • All performances researched and developed by WMU theatre students in THEA 4000: Ensemble Building Then and Now 
  • "Lanval" 
  • "The Enchanted Cave of Cesh Curran"
  • "St. George and the Dragon," adapted by Drew Clark, BFA ‘24 
  • "Husband Swap" with thanks to Jody Enders; additional material by Ejiro Enajero, BFA ‘23
  • "Sfanta" ("Holy One"): "Hell Bent on Heaven," Diana Lobontiu 
  • "Husband Swap," or "Swap Meat" ("Le Trocheur de maris"), Radford University 
  • "Je, Christine," Suzanne Savoy 
  • "Aliénor," Ron & Janice Cook and Simonetta Cochis 
  • "Problematic Men," Pneuma Ensemble 
  • "Time’s Up," University of Minnesota, Duluth  
  • "Cosmic Dance," Early Music Michigan 
  • "Leaf-by-Niggle," University of Maryland 
  • "Cooch E. Whippet" ("Farce of St. Martin de Cambray"), Radford University 
  • "Esmoreit & Lippijn," Western Michigan University 
  • "Floris and Blancheflour," Pneuma Ensemble 
  • "Dulcitius," or "Sex in the Kitchen," Poculi Ludique Societas