WORKMEN have begun constructing the huge stage in the Museum Gardens for this summer’s York Mystery Plays.

The stage is surrounded on three sides by tiers of seating for the nightly audience of 1,400 people and on the fourth side by the ruined walls of St Mary’s Abbey.

It is about 2.5 metres above the ground, with more than a dozen trapdoors created through which members of the 250-strong cast can enter and leave the stage.

While the seating is covered to protect audiences from rain, the stage is not and actors may have to be prepared to get wet on some nights.

The Plays, which involve about 1,700 volunteers from across the community, will take place throughout August.