Oberammergau's Passion Play is a year away, start planning now

The Oberammergau Passion Play has been performed for nearly 400 years (Courtesy: Oberammergau Passion Play)

OBERAMMERGAU, GERMANY — In the midst of the Thirty Years War and the devastating Black Plague which wiped out between a third to a half of the population of Europe the people of Oberammergau, Germany made a pledge in 1633.

After 80 deaths their tiny village, the citizens of the town took a sacred oath  that every ten years they would perform a "Play of the Suffering, Death and Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ" if God would protect them from further ravages of the plague.

The parish church was the site
of the first productions
(Photo: Zebulon -- Public Domain)

According to legend, following the vow, not a single person came down with the disease, and perhaps even more miraculously, everyone who was afflicted with the plague at the time of the oath survived.

True to their promise, the passion play was performed for the first time during Pentecost in 1634 and has fulfilled its agreement every ten years since, except in 1940 during World War II.

In the nearly 400 years since the promise was made, there have been a few occasions where the play has been performed other than the traditional ten year span. Such events would include a Jubileo year in Rome, for example.

Today the Passion Play Theatre seats 4,700 people and there are sometines as man as 700 actors on stage at once
(Courtesy:  Passion Play)

Today, the play occurs in every decade beginning in zero.

Beginning in May 2020  and running until October, the latest rendition of the Oberammergau Passion Play will renew its centuries old pledge for pilgrims from around the world.

So why write about Oberammergau now, a more than a year before the first performance? The answer is simple. So popular has the passion play become over the centuries that tour operators and savvy travelers know that tickets for the five month run of the production come at a premium.

Only residents of Oberammergau are permitted to perform in the
play  (Courtesy:  Passion Play)

 

Furthermore, the citizens of Oberammergau, who must be residents in order to participate, have already begun preparations for the elaborate production, meaning that this is an event that requires a bit more planning than merely showing up when the curtain is raised.

Known in German as Passionsspiele, the cast consists of about half the 5,000 residents whose otherwise every day lives consist of working as doctors, shopkeepers, teachers and the like.

All of the main speaking parts are filled by actors who have lived in Oberammergau for at least 20 years or people who were born there.

Three actors play Jesus due to
 physical demands of the role
(Courtesy: Passion Play)

Due to the physical stamina required for "Christ" to be on the cross for 20 minutes during the Crucifixion scene, three different actors rotate in the role of Jesus.

Lest one think this is a small local  production, consider that there are times when there are as many as 700 actors on stage.

As rehearsals get underway, at some point early on in the production, the principle characters make a journey to the Holy Land to get a first-hand look and sense of the actual historical environment of the drama.

So seriously do the actors take their roles, one of traditional high points in the lead-up to the production comes when  signs are posted throughout town notifying male performers that it is time to begin growing their beards and letting their hair get longer.

The play has had many revisions
(Photo: Public Domain)

The original script was written by eight collaborating playwrights along with input from townspeople. Since the first production, the passion play has been performed on open-air stages in the village using texts of a composite of four distinct manuscripts dating from the 15th and 16th centuries.

Between 1660 and 1860, the play underwent numerous revisions, and has, at times been criticized for being antisemitic. Since 1860, rewrites to music and dialogue have been minor except in the special season of 1934 honoring the play's 300th anniversary at the time when Adolf Hitler was chancellor.

Interior of the Church of St Peter St Paul in Oberammergau
(Photo: Zebulon -- Public Domain)

The first performance in 1634 took place in the cemetery next to the parish church on the fresh graves of victims of the plague. The stage was little more than a simple wood construction.

At times there are 700 actors on
stage  (Courtesy: Passion Play)

In 1830, the stage relocated to the northern edge of the village with a layout-plan which offered space for 5000 spectators. Today the permanent venue, Passion Play Theatre seats 4,700 people.

Over the centuries the play has ranged in length from five to eight hours with the first half performed in the morning and the second part in the afternoon or starting the afternoon and finishing in the evening. Traditionally there has always been a three hour lunch or dinner break between the segments.

Artist's rendering of Oberammergau (Photo: Public Domain)

One interesting aspect of the play is that many shopkeepers could not participate if they had to close during  the months and days of the play. Thus many villagers who are cast members often set their clocks to the precise time of their appearance (this is Germany, after all)  and then jump on a bicycle to avoid traffic and get to the theater in time to go on. Afterwards, those who are able, simply cycle back to work.

Along with the Crucifixion, the Last Supper is one of the most
powerful and emotional scenes in the play
(Courtesy: Oberammergau Passion Play)

With this background in mind, it's easy to see why planning a year in advance is necessary. It's due to the passion of the villagers of Oberammergau to fulfill their 400-year old vow combined with the passion for travel by visitors with a desire to witness the world famous Passion Play of Oberammergau.