The Wakefield Mystery Plays are one of four surviving English mystery play cycles. The series of 32 mystery plays dates back to the 1400s. Little is definitely known about the plays, even their authorship. They're considered unique because of the work of the Wakefield Master, a writer who added refined language and wit to the work. The plays begin with the fall of Satan and end with the last judgment.
The York Mystery Plays are a series of 48 plays that take their audience through the stories of the Bible. Traditionally, the plays were performed during the Feast Day of Corpus Christi, which during the traditional Christian calendar fell in May or June. A manuscript of the York plays, which dates to sometime in the late 1400s, is in the British Library. The plays have been revived many times in the 20th century and will be performed again in 2012.
Recorded as early as 1422, the Chester Mystery Plays are a cycle of mystery plays perfomed during the Feast of Corpus Christi Day. More than 600 years later, they're still being performed, with the next full text performance planned for 2013. Different companies are responsible for each of the different cycles. The plays are based on Biblical texts, from creation to the Last Judgment, but Chester is noted for its version of the Great Flood.
The most mysterious of all the mystery play cycles in England, the N-Town Plays consist of 42 plays written between 1450 and 1500. Even the city of their performances and origins is debated by scholars. While other English plays were tied to the Corpus Christi feast, there's no evidence that the N-Town plays were. Also, while other mystery plays were known to travel from place-to-place by wagon, the N-Town plays are thought to have had a stationary home.