The history of the Passion Theater
Pentecost 1634: For the first time, the people of Oberammergau are fulfilling their promise to perform the Passion tragedy every ten years. The first stage is created over the fresh graves of the plague dead in the community cemetery.
17th/18th Century: The original simple wooden frame of the wooden stage is equipped with backdrops and stage technology.
1830: The stage will be set up for the first time on the site of today's Passion Theater.
1900: The auditorium is roofed with the iron frame construction of six high arches that still exists today. It opens to the front of the open-air stage.
1930: New construction of the open-air stage by Georg Johann Lang and Raimund Lang. The artistic concentration of the stage designs corresponds to the clear, ascetic, monumental style of the stage house, which was previously made entirely of wood. As part of the expansion of the auditorium, the original seating, consisting of simple rows of benches, will be replaced by theater seating. The rows of benches now offer space for 5.200 visitors.
1998 / 99: Extensive renovations in the interior and on the facade have become necessary: new seating, underfloor heating, expansion of the cloakrooms, conversion of the foyer with exhibition areas for disabled people, new fire protection on steel and wooden components, renovation of the facade, sanitary rooms, modernization of the stage technology. The total construction costs amount to 15 million DM.
26. September 1999: Solemn inauguration with the renewal of the plague vow. The newly renovated Theater now offers 4.383 completely covered seats to a worldwide audience of maximum comfort and absolute safety. Oberammergau thus lives up to its reputation as leading Passion play venue.
About Passion 2010: New construction of a mobile stage roof that preserves the open-air character of the Passion Theater while at the same time protecting the actors and orchestra from wind and weather.
The Passion Theater is now also regularly used in the years between the Passion for major cultural events such as the Heimatsound Festival or the staging of top-class theater performances.