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The medieval church adopted a theatrical approach to teaching the masses because many rituals and mummeries were already part of the lifestyle of the simple minded people. They were used to having their stories told to them, either by one person acting out all roles, or by a group doing it. These would be performed at specific times of the year, and so it was not long before the church saw this as a means of teaching the masses, especially those who were wary of joining the church.

By encouraging these performances, using Bible stories instead of the older more brutal tales of heroism, the church found a new clientele, and after these performances managed to persuade more people to attend the church. They gained their converts.

But these groups were so popular, and made such a good living at these events, that the people wished to remain together, and so had to find other things to do in between the ecclesiastical events. Old stories were reformed; new stories about political and aristocratic events were devised, and whilst most of the player groups were nomadic, some found benefactors who allowed them to settle in one place. Shakespeare's works were but one section of a thriving Elizabethan surge in playwriting, mainly from learned/aristocratic sources with ordinary people acting out many of the roles.

In the end theatre removed itself from the cloak of the church, and became an entity in its own right. By then the church had gone through its worst schisms and settled down into a relatively calm period, where even the least righteous of person would consider themselves Christian in some form. The theatre had done its job for the church. It was now time to move. on.

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