(Redirected from Passion plays):''This article is about a type of dramatic presentation. For other uses of the term ''Passion play'', see
Passion play (disambiguation).''
A Passion play in Poland
A 'Passion play' is a
dramatic presentation depicting the
Passion of
Christ: the
trial,
suffering and
death of
Jesus Christ. It is a traditional part of
Lent in several
Christian denominations, particularly in
Catholic tradition.
Origin and history of the Passion play
The Easter play
The evolution of the Passion Play was about the same as that of the
Easter Play. It originated in the
ritual of the
Church, which prescribes, among other things, that the
Gospel on
Good Friday should be
sung in parts divided among
various persons. Later on, Passion Plays, properly so called, made their appearance, first in
Latin, then in
German; contents and forms were adapted more and more
audience expectations, until, in the
fifteenth century, the popular religious plays had developed. Thus, the Benedictbeurn Passion Play (
thirteenth century) is still largely composed of Latin ritual sentences in
prose and of church
hymns, and, being designed to be
sung, resembles an
oratorio.
The addition of more music and more characters
Yet even this oldest of the Passion Plays already shows, by the interpolation of free translations of church hymns and of German verses not pertaining to such hymns, as well as by the appearance of Mary (the Virgin
Mary, mother of Jesus) and
Mary Magdalene in the action, a tendency to break away from the ritual and to adopt a more
dramatic form began to appear. From these humble beginnings the Passion Play developed very rapidly, since in the
fourteenth century it was at a stage of development which could not have been reached except by
repeated practice. From this second period we have the Vienna Passion, the St. Gall Passion, the oldest Frankfort Passion, and the Maestricht Passion. All four Plays, as they are commonly called, are written in
rhyme, principally in German.
The Passion Play continues to expand
The Vienna Passion embraces the entire history of the
Redemption, and begins with the revolt and
fall of
Lucifer; the play, as transmitted to us, ends with Jesus and his
Twelve Apostles sitting at
the Last Supper.
The oldest Frankfort Passion play, that of Canon Baldemar von Peterwell (1350-1380), the production of which required two days, was more profusely elaborated than the other Passion Plays of this period. Of this play only the ''
Ordo sive Registrum'' has come down to us, a long roll of
parchment for the use of the
director, containing
stage directions and the first words of the
dialogues. The plays based on this list of directions lead us to the period in which the Passion Play reached its highest development (1400-1515). During this period the later Frankfort Passion Play (1467), the Alsfelder, and the Friedberger (1514) originated. Connected with this group are the Eger, the Donaueschingen, Augsburg, Freising and Lucerne Passion Plays, in which the whole world drama, beginning with the
creation of man and brought down to the
coming of the Holy Ghost, is exhibited, and which was produced with great splendour as late as
1583.
The Tyrolese Passion Play
Expansion and consolidation of previous plays
Nearly all these Passion Plays have some relation to those coming from the Tyrol, some contributing to, others taking from, that source. These, again, are founded upon the Tyrolese Passion Play which originated during the transition period of the fourteenth to the fifteenth century. Wackernell, with the aid of the plays that have reached us, has reconstructed this period. In the Tyrol the Passion Plays received elaborate cultivation; at Bozen they were presented with great splendour and lasted seven days. Here, too, the innovation of placing the female
roles in the hands of women was introduced, which innovation did not become general until during the
seventeenth century.
Elaborate, public productions
The magnificent productions of the Passion Plays during the fifteenth century are closely connected with the growth and increasing self-confidence of the cities, which found its expression in noble buildings, ecclesiastical and municipal, and in gorgeous public festivals. The artistic sense and the
love of art of the citizens had, in co-operation with the
clergy, called these plays into being, and the wealth of the citizens provided for magnificent productions of them on the public squares, whither they migrated after expulsion from the churches. The citizens and civil authorities considered it a point of honour to render the production as rich and diversified as possible. Ordinarily the preparations for the play were in the hands of a spiritual brotherhood, the play itself being considered a form of
worship. People of the most varied classes took part in the production, and frequently the number of
actors was as high as two hundred and even greater. If was undoubtedly no small task to drill the performers, particularly since the
stage arrangements were still very primitive.
Staging and set design
The
stage was a wooden structure, almost as broad as it was long, elevated but slightly above the ground and open on all sides. A
house formed the background; a
balcony attached to the house represented
Heaven. Under the balcony three
crosses were erected. Sometimes the stage was divided into three sections by
doors. Along the sides of the stage, taken lengthwise, stood the houses required for the production; they were indicated by fenced-in spaces, or by four posts upon which a roof rested. The
entrance into Hell was pictured by the mouth of a monster, through which the
Devil and the
souls captured or released during the plays passed back and forth. The
actors entered in solemn procession, led by
musicians or by a præcursor (
herald), and took their stand at the places appointed them. They remained on the stage all through the performance; they sat on the barriers of their respective divisions, and were permitted to leave their places only to
recite their lines. As each actor finished speaking, he returned to his place. The audience stood around the stage or looked on from the windows of neighbouring houses. Occasionally platforms, called "bridges", were erected around the stage in the form of an
amphitheatre.
Simplicity of scenery, dialog, action, and costumes
The
scenery was as simple as the stage. There were no side
scenes, and consequently no stage perspective. Since an illusion of reality could not be had, indications were made to suffice. Thus a cask standing on end represents the mountain on which Christ is tempted by the Devil;
thunder is imitated by the report of a
gun; in order to signify that the Devil had
entered into him,
Judas holds a bird of black plumage before his mouth and makes it flutter. The
suicide of Judas is an
execution, in which
Beelzebub performs the hangman's duty. He precedes the culprit up the ladder and draws Judas after him by a
rope. Judas has a black bird and the
intestines of an
animal concealed in the front of his clothing, and when Satan tears open the garment the bird flies away, and the intestines fall out, whereupon Judas and his executioner slide down into Hell on a rope. A
painted picture representing the
soul, is hung from the mouth of each of the two
thieves on the cross; an
angel takes the soul of the
penitent, the devil that of the impenitent thief. Everything is presented in the concrete, just as the
imagination of the audience pictures it, and the scenic conditions, resembling those of the antique theatre demand. All
costume, however, is contemporary, historical accuracy being ignored.
Secularization of the Passion Play
The Passion Plays of the
15th century, with their peculiar blending of religious, artistic, and increasingly
secular elements, gave a true picture of German city life of those times. Serious thought and lively humour were highly developed in these plays. When, however, the
patricians, in the sixteenth century, withdrew more and more from the plays, the plays, left to the lower classes, began to lose their serious and (in spite of the comic traits) dignified character. The influence of the Carnival plays (Fastnachtspiele) was felt more and more. Master Grobianus with his coarse and
obscene jests was even introduced into some of the Passion Plays. In time the
ecclesiastical authorities forbade the production of these "secularized" plays. Thus, the
Bishop of
Havelberg commanded his clergy, in
1471, to suppress the Passion Plays and legend plays in their parish districts because of the disgraceful and irrelevant
farces interspersed through the productions.
Secularized Passion Plays banned
With the advent of the
16th century European religious conflict the uneasiness with liturgical drama in general increased. The
Synod of
Strasburg of
1549 opposed the religious plays, and the year previous, in
1548, the
Parliament of Paris forbade the production of ''The Mysteries of the Passion of our Redeemer and other Spiritual Mysteries''. One consequence was that the secularized plays were separated from the religious, and, as Carnival plays, held the public favour. The Passion Plays came to be presented more rarely, particularly as the
Reformation was inimical to them.
Rediscovery of the Passion Play
The Passion Play almost disappears
School dramas now came into vogue in Catholic and Protestant schools, and frequently enough became the battle-ground of
religious controversies. When, in the
seventeenth century, the splendidly equipped
Jesuit drama arose, the Passion Plays (still largely secularized) were relegated to out-of-the-way
villages and to the
monasteries, particularly in
Bavaria and
Austria. Towards the end of the eighteenth century, during the
Age of Enlightenment, efforts were made in Catholic Germany, particularly in Bavaria and the Tyrol, to destroy even the remnants of the tradition of
medieval plays. One of the reasons passion plays fell out of favor was because many of them contained blatant anti-Semitic themes (the most important of which was that the Jews were responsible for Christ's death) and outdated ideas about sin and salvation; their simplistic view of the world and its history also went against the grain of modern thinking, particularly since social scientists and philosophers were beginning to dismantle many medieval ideas.
A resurgence of public interest
Public interest in the Passion Play developed in the last decades of the
nineteenth century, and the
statistician Karl Pearson wrote a book about them. Since then,
Brixlegg and
Vorderthiersee in the
Tyrol,
Horice na Sumave or
Höritz[1] near
Cesky Krumlov in southern
Bohemia, and above all,
Oberammergau in
Upper Bavaria attract thousands to their plays.
The text of the play of Vorderthiersee (''Gespiel in der Vorderen Thiersee'') dates from the second half of the seventeenth century, is entirely in verse, and comprises in five
acts the events recorded in the Gospel, from the Last Supper to the Entombment. A prelude (Vorgespiel), on the
Good Shepherd, precedes the play. After being repeatedly remodelled, the text received its present classical form from the Austrian
Benedictine,
P. Weissenhofer. Productions of the play, which came from Bavaria to the Tyrol in the second half of the eighteenth century, were arranged at irregular intervals during the first half of the nineteenth century; since
1855 they have taken place at regular intervals, at Brixlegg every ten years. The Höritz Passion Play, the present text of which is from the pen of Provost Landsteiner, has been produced every five years, since
1893.
Modern performances of the Passion Play
The Oberammergau Passion Play
The chief survivor, however, of former times is the
Oberammergau Passion Play, first performed in the Bavarian village of
Oberammergau, which continues to perform it every decade despites concerns from both Jewish groups that feel the performances promote anti-Semitism, and the Vatican, which has expressed a belief that the performance is out of step with current Church teachings.
Australia
In
Australia, there are several major productions of The Passion staged annually in the lead up to
Easter.
"
'The Iona Passion Play'" was founded in
1958 in
Queensland and 'tours' cities and towns around
Australia. In each location the touring cast invites community members to join the production.
"
'Passion Play'" A New group of enthusiastic people staged a version of the 'Passion Play' with music and script written by Roy Pires in a completely original score. It was staged for the first time this year (2007) at Riverstage in the City botanical gardens in Brisbane, Queensland and was very sucessfull, touching the lives of many people."
''New South Wales'':
In suburban
Sydney, at
Turramurra, "
'The Turramurra Passion'" is a contemporary, character-driven interpretation, using multimedia elements and an original score.
''Queensland'':
"The Moogerah Passion Play" is produced in
Queensland, and is staged "realistically" on a large outdoor stage beside a
lake.
Canada
The Canadian Badlands Passion Play is performed annually in
Drumheller,
Alberta. It is staged outdoors in a naturally occurring
amphitheatre in the hills of the Drumheller valley. The cast is predominately volunteers from across the province of Alberta.
Also in [Queensway Cathedral] in [Toronto Ontario] a Passion play takes place during the Easter Season. The story begins with a grandmother, granddaughter and the granddaughter's friend. The three sit around a fire as the story of Jesus unfolds with many encounters with many Characters from the story. The cast is also all volunteers.
In Manitoba, located in the La Riviere Valley at Oak Valley's Outdoor theatre, located on the edge of the valley among the natural beauty of the Pembina Valley. The cast and crew are all volunteers from all over southern Manitoba. Rehearsals usually start in April or early May and are ready for mid-July performances.
Brazil
The Passion of the Christ is performed every year at
Easter in a purpose-built 100.000m2 theatre-city in the arid backlands of
Pernambuco, in Northeast
Brazil. It is considered to be the largest open-air theatre in the world. Thousands of visitors arrive every year to watch the performance; over 500 actors appear on the 9 separate stages within the stone walls of the city.
The Netherlands
De
Passiespelen is a re-enactment of the Passion of the Christ taking place every year that is divisible by 5, e.g.
2005 and
2010. It is performed in the open air in
Openluchttheater De Doolhof in
Tegelen. Originating in
1931 it has become an internationally acclaimed event drawing visitors from all over the world.
Philippines
The
Philippines, being one of two predominantly Christian nations in
Southeast Asia (
East Timor being the other), has Passion plays called ''"Senakulo"'', named after the
Upper room, or Cenacle. Also, there are actual crucifixions done by people outside of Passion plays to fulfill a ''panata'' (vow fulfilled in exchange for a request or prayer granted), with San Pedro Cutod,
Pampanga being a popular place to see this (see
San Pedro Cutud Lenten Rites).
Spain
In
Catalonia,
Spain, it is common for villages to present different passion plays every
Easter, like the ones in
Esparreguera and
Olesa de Montserrat, first documented in
1538. Olesa's
1996 production surpassed the world record for the most people acting onstage at the same time, with 726 persons.
Balmaseda, in
Euskadi, also has a passion play.
Thailand
Church of Immaculate Conception, Bangkok, still holds annual Passion Play on Good Friday.
United States
The most popular passion play in Texas is "
''The Promise''", performed near
Glen Rose, Texas. Between Glen Rose, and it's sister production in
Branson, Missouri, over 1 million people have seen The Promise.
In
Eureka Springs,
Arkansas, The Great Passion Play is regularly performed and very popular. Since its first performance in 1968, The Great Passion Play in Eureka Springs has been seen by over 7.5 million people making it the largest attended outdoor drama in America. Also on the grounds of The Great Passion Play is the Christ of the Ozarks statue (the largest Christ statue in the North America), the New Holy Land Tour, a full-scale re-creation of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, a section of the
Berlin Wall, a Museum of Earth History, and Bible Museum. From time to time popular artists visit The Great Passion Play to perform in the 550 ft. amphitheater where the play is held. The Great Passion Play of Eureka Springs can be seen from the last weekend of April to the last weekend of October with performances four and five nights a week. For more information about this Passion Play, visit
[2].
The Play has also been performed in
Hughes Springs, Texas as "The Passion Play"
The longest running passion play in the USA has been being performed in
Union City, New Jersey since 1915, and at the Park Theater since 1931. In 1997, a controversy was caused when an African-American actor was cast as Jesus.
In
Zion,
Illinois, the passion play has been performed at Christ Community Church since 1935.
The Black Hills Passion Play is performed every summer in the
Black Hills of
South Dakota. The same cast performs the play during the winter months in Florida.
In
Downingtown,
Pennsylvania, the Hopewell United Methodist Church has performed a version of the play in a 1,000 seat outdoor amphitheater each year since 1963. The original version of "The Passion Play," initiated in 1963, is based in the King James Version of
the Bible, but a newer version, entitled "The Power and The Glory" was launched in 2005, based in several modern-language translations of
the Bible. The church offers both versions on successive weekends in June each year as a free offering to their audience. For more information about his pla, visit http://www.HisPlay.org.
The play is performed in
Gatlinburg, Tennessee as "The Great Smoky Mountains Passion Play."
The
Atlanta Passion Play has been produced by First Baptist Church, Atlanta since 1977.
===Andrew Lloyd Webber's
Jesus Christ Superstar
Though similar to a passion play , JCS is more of a religious musical than a passion play.
The Passion Play in motion pictures===
The
2004 film ''
The Passion of the Christ'' (produced by
Mel Gibson) had a plot similar to that of Passion plays. The
1989 film ''
Jésus de Montréal'' presents the staging of a very unorthodox version while the players' lives themselves mirror the Passion.
See also
★
Jesus Christ
★
Arrest of Jesus
★
Trial of Jesus Christ
★
Crucifixion of Jesus Christ
★
Resurrection of Jesus Christ
★
Dramatic portrayals of Jesus
★
The Passion of the Christ
★
Concern over Antisemitism in Passion Plays
★
Gospel
★
Mummers Play
★
Liturgical drama
★
ta'ziya --
Shiite Muslim passion play commemorating the
martyrdom of
Husayn bin Ali
★
Sacri Monti
External links
★
Resurrection Song An original Easter musical
★
The Atlanta Passion Play
★
The Great Passion Play in Eureka Springs, AR
★
The Canadian Badlands Passion Play in Drumheller Alberta Canada
★
Manitoba's Passion Play in the Pembina Valley near La Riviere, Manitoba, Canada
★
The Andrews University Passion Play
★
The Iona Passion Play
★
Moogerah Passion Play
★
The Turramurra Passion
★
The Olesa de Montserrat Passion
★
The Esparreguera Passion
★
An annual Passion Play produced in Pittsburgh, PA
★
The Passion Musical at The Texas Amphitheatre in Glen Rose, TX
★
The Passion of the Christ in Nova Jerusalém, Brazil
★
The Passion Play: One man stage performance by Doug Barry - Filmed at the Orpheum Theatre
★
The Passion Play in the ''Sacri Monti'' of Piedmont and Lombardy
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