After preaching and song we turn to examine one further aspect of oral culture: drama. As with the other two media, drama had a rich and varied mediaeval heritage; the three modes of communication were in many respects closely connected, and each drew on the traditions and associations of the other. Popular theatricals made much use of song and the playing of musical instruments: drums, horns and pipes provided the steady backcloth to the other more dramatic special effects expected by a discerning and demanding audience. Mediaeval drama also shared much in common with the preaching tradition. We have already laid some stress on the theatricality of the mediaeval sermon, and preaching certainly shared with the more overt theatrical performances the sense of a special event for which large and eager crowds would gather in the expectation of something rousing and unusual. The two events had much in common in terms of their unfolding rhythm and drama: the long period of anticipation, the gathering of large bodies of eager auditors, milling noisily in the city's public space; the carefully managed choreography of the performance, the skill of the performer to rouse emotion and build to a thrilling climax. Preachers were well aware of the weight of expectations that fell on their performance; if they failed to entertain and enthral, travelling players offered other free entertainments.

This does not imply, however, that the great preachers were necessarily opposed to drama, or resented the competition of dramatic presentations.