Pentecost 1634: The people of Oberammergau fulfill their promise to perform the Passion Play every ten years for the first time. The first stage is built over the fresh graves of plague victims in the village cemetery.
17th/18th century: The original simple wooden framework of the wooden stage is equipped with scenery and stage technology.
1830: The stage is erected for the first time on the site of today's Passion Play Theatre.
1900: The auditorium was covered with the iron framework structure consisting of six high arches, which still exists today. It opens to the front onto the open-air stage.
1930: Reconstruction of the open-air stage by Georg Johann Lang and Raimund Lang. The clear, austere, monumental style of the stage building, previously constructed entirely of wood, corresponds to the artistic focus of the stage designs. As part of the enlargement of the auditorium, the original seating, consisting of simple benches, was replaced with theater-style seating. The benches now provided space for 5.200 visitors.
1998/99: Extensive renovations to the interior and facade became necessary: new seating, underfloor heating, expansion of the cloakrooms, barrier-free foyer conversion with exhibition areas, new fire protection for steel and wooden structural elements, facade renovation, sanitary facilities, and modernization of the stage technology. The total construction costs amounted to 15 million DM.
September 26, 1999: Grand opening with the renewal of the plague vow. The renovated theater now offers fully covered seating for 4.383 people . Oberammergau thus lives up to its reputation as a leading Passion Play venue.
For the 2010 Passion Play: Construction of a new mobile stage roof that preserves the open-air character of the Passion Play theatre while protecting the performers and orchestra from wind and weather.
Meanwhile, the Passion Play Theatre is also regularly used in the years between Passion Plays for cultural events such as the Heimatsound Festival or the staging of high-caliber theatre performances.
