There are two medieval Daniel plays, both dating from the mid-1100s. One was written by Hilarius, a pupil of Abelard (which seems worth mentioning). The second is more famous, and it probably was based on Hilarius’s play. This one was written by the choir school at Beauvais Cathedral. We know exactly who wrote it because the play begins by proclaiming the authorship! It’s possible that it was an advanced student assignment: to take the play by Hilarius and improve on it, showing off their ability to work with music and Latin meter.
This play is no longer just a few characters in simple settings. It presents nineteen scenes and a full cast (two kings, a queen, royal counselors, soldiers, angels, plus both Daniel and Habakkuk) with extras: singers, musicians, waiters, members of processions. All were to be costumed for the Babylonian court. The musicians specifically include harps, drums, and zithers, and there may have been others. There’s a sunken lion’s den with some provision for “lions.” Furthermore, the stage notes stipulate for the prophet Habakkuk to arrive at the lions’ den not walking, but flying. Ropes, pulleys, a wire? later medieval stages were equal to all of these tricks.
You can see modern revivals of “The Play of Daniel” on YouTube. It was first premiered in our time at the Met in 1958, using the Chapel at “The Cloisters” as the setting. The Met staged it again 50 years later, and some scenes from this version are posted on YouTube. I’m linking here to Balshazzar’s Feast and Daniel Interpreting the Writing. Additionally, the University of Oklahoma has posted their full production.
The Medieval French Drama. Grace Frank. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1960.
The New Oxford History of Music: The Early Middle Ages to 1300. Richard Crocker, David Hiley.