43rd Oberammergau Passion Play

2030

for video

The Passion Play

The Passion play in Oberammergau take place every 10 years. This tradition has its origins in 1634. At that time, the people of Oberammergau made a vow to perform the suffering and death of Christ every 10 years if no one else would die of the plague. After the village was spared further deaths from the plague, the people of Oberammergau kept their promise and performed the passion play. This 10-year rhythm has been maintained to this day, only interrupted in years of war or pandemics. The next passion play will take place in 2030.

Passion play schedule

Preparations begin five years before the start of the performance so that everything and everyone is ready for the premiere

Election of the game master and the second game master. Allocation of stage design and costumes. Musical director and conductor is elected.

Renewal of vows and announcement of the performers. The roles for Jesus, Mary, Peter, Judas, Pontius Pilate and Caiaphas, as well as 120 speaking roles, are announced. Around 2.000 people from Oberammergau will take part in the passion play

Ash Wednesday:

“Hair and beard waiver” - according to old tradition, the actors have to grow their hair and beard

Performance of the “Plague Game”. The piece tells the story of the day laborer Kaspar Schisler, who introduced the plague to Oberammergau in 1633 during the turmoil of the Thirty Years' War, about dying for months from the plague and vowing to perform the passion play every 10 years

Rehearsals begin in the Small Theater & Passion Theater

Start of the Passion Play - until October of the year

The game

In 1633, during the Thirty Years' War and after suffering for months from the plague, the residents of oberammergau, to stage the drama about the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ every 10 years. The first passion play took place in 1634 and marked the beginning of the long tradition of the Oberammergau Passion Play.

The action at the Oberammergau Passion Play

The passion play begins with Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem, pursues the Passion story, shows the last supper, leads over to crucifixion and finds his Climax in the resurrection. The piece consists of 12 sections. The first 6 sections will be presented in the afternoon. After a three-hour break, the last 6 sections begin in the evening.

At the beginning of each section, a choir performs and performs a “living picture” with actors reenacting scenes from the Bible. These scenes are contemplative interpretations supported by music and singing from the orchestra and choir, drawing connections to the Old Testament.

The drama shows the final moments of Jesus' life, but it places emphasis on the entire gospel, especially Jesus' teachings and his image of people. The focus is on his message of radical repentance and his devotion to every individual. He appeared in an Israel dominated by Rome, at a time of great social disparity, oppression and exploitation. Any form of resistance was quickly suppressed by Pilate. The people wanted liberation from Rome and expected the Messiah. During this time, Jesus preached universal love that included both the slave and the ruler. His message emphasized the need for radical change by leaving hatred and violence behind.

The piece emphasizes Jesus' strong ties to his Jewish roots. As a believing Jew, he addressed the priests. He recited the “Sh'ma Israel,” which says, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the only God!” and criticized the priests who focused more on religious rituals than on justice, mercy and faith. For us, Jesus represents a passionate young Jew who was crucified for his still-relevant message. We want to portray a Jesus who stands up for faith in his God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, with remarkable conviction.

The actors of the Oberammergau Passion Play

For the Passion play in Oberammergau The main actors are usually announced about 2 years before the actual performance. This gives the actors enough time to prepare for their roles, as the performance and its preparation represent a significant time commitment. It is not just a theater performance, but also a large community project that requires both intensive preparation and the highest level of commitment from everyone involved. After the main actors are announced, rehearsals and stage construction begin. All actors are residents of Oberammergau.

Information

The management of the Oberammergau Passion Play

In the Passion play in Oberammergau will the Game management (responsible for direction and artistic design), usually selected and announced about 5 years before the performance. This deadline allows the game management to make the enormous logistical and artistic challenges of the passion play to plan and coordinate in detail. Since the Passion Play has not only a cultural but also a deep spiritual and traditional meaning for the community, the Selection of the game management of great importance and requires extensive preparation time. After their appointment, the performance director begins with the conception of the piece, the selection of the team and the planning of the rehearsals. Christian Stückl has been the game director since the 1990 games.

Choir and orchestra of the Oberammergau Passion Play

The Music at the Oberammergau Passion Play is largely based on the compositions of Rochus Dedler (1779-1822). He was a teacher and organist born in Oberammergau. His composition for the Passion Play was first performed in 1820 and, despite some adjustments and changes over the years, has formed the musical basis for the play ever since.

During his three seasons as musical director of the Passion Play, Markus Zwink rearranged Dedler's music and added his own accents. For example, he set the Jewish creed, the Shema Yisrael, to music, thus bringing the Jewish identity of Jesus to the fore in a scene created together with the director Christian Stückl.

Approximately work per performance 120 Oberammergauers in the orchestra pit and in the choir with us and make the passion play an unforgettable and profound experience. Here you can listen to the final scene of the Passion Play 2022.

 

 

About the Passion Theater

The Passion theater of the Oberammergau Passion Play brings with it a long and fascinating tradition that goes back several centuries.

While the first performance took place in 1634 on a stage podium at the cemetery, The Passion Play developed continuously over the centuries further. They became more and more popular and attracted viewers not only from Germany but from all over Europe. As popularity grew, the call for a permanent venue became louder. Today's Passion Theater was built in the 19th centuryto accommodate the growing number of viewers. It offers with its half-open stage accommodates hundreds of actors and thousands of spectators.

In order to better protect the actors and orchestra from wind and weather, the Passion Theater received a mobile roof for the 2010 games, which is still open at the back. In this way, the stage was protected without disturbing the traditional open-air character of the theater. When the weather conditions are stable, the roof can be moved away on large rails and is therefore no longer visible from the auditorium.

Information

FAQs about the Oberammergau Passion Play

When was the last time the Passion Play was performed in the Oberammergau cemetery?

They were found in the churchyard of the parish church Oberammergau Passion Play the last time took place in 1820. Father Othmar Weis is also staging the passion play for the last time this year. They experience 1820 Oberammergau Passion Play a significant increase in popularity. The number of spectators rose to an impressive 19.000 - an enormous number for this time. Advertisements placed in the “Munich Political Newspaper” and in newspapers from Augsburg show the increased popularity of the Passion Play.

Who backed a new production of the Oberammergau Passion Play at the beginning of the 20th century?

In 1929 he planned Game director Johann Georg Lang a complete Redesign of the 1930 performance. To do this, he had to convince the community that a new stage was necessary. Based on the designs by Georg Johann Lang and his brother Raimund Lang, the mayor, the Passion Theater was rebuilt and the auditorium was expanded to 5.200 seats.

They valued a clear, ascetic and monumental stage style. This was reflected in the expressive stage designs, complemented by impressive crowd scenes. The artistic implementation of the stage designs was entrusted to the artist Michael Zeno Diemer. Despite initial concerns that the production might appear too modern, these concerns were unfounded. The updated game in Oberammergau received high recognition, which was reflected, among other things, in the fact that renowned directors such as Max Reinhardt and Charles Dullin expressed their admiration.

When was the Oberammergau Passion Play last performed?

They started on May 14, 2022 42nd Passion Play in Oberammergau, which ended on October 110nd after 2 performances. The event attracted over 412.000 international visitors. Almost 1.800 residents of Oberammergau actively took part under the guidance of Christian Stückl, who was in the role of game leader for the fourth time. The management team of 4 continued to consist of Abdullah Kenan Karaca as second director, the musical head Markus Zwink and Stefan Hageneier, who took over the stage and costume design.

Among the notable guests at the 2022 Passion Play were actor and director Sir Ian McKellen and the Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba. He led the opening service together with the Archbishop of Munich and Freising, Reinhard Cardinal Marx, and the regional bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm. The premiere was organized by the Bavarian Prime Minister Dr. Markus Söder hosted an official reception in collaboration with the municipality of Oberammergau.

When will the next Passion Play take place in Oberammergau?

Even though the 2020 games were postponed for two years due to the corona pandemic, the people of Oberammergau are returning to their usual rhythm and will host the 2rd Passion Play in 43.

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