“PASSION PLAY 2010″

Passion Play Historical Timeline

It’s fascinating to read about the development of the famous Oberammergau Passion Play, coming up again in 2010.

1633 - In the beginning a solemn promise was made: After the War of 30 years the Black Death came to Oberammergau in the year 1632. In 1633 nearly every family bemoaned one or more victims as a consequence of the Black Death. At the Cemetery (Beinhof) the Black Death invalids promised to act the history of Jesus Christ every ten years. The inhabitants of Oberammergau erected a Symbol for Jesus Christ. An etching of the artist Hans Schwaighofer from Oberammergau testifies this.

At Pentecost 1634 the inhabitants of Oberammergau act the Play on a stage which was built at the cemetery and constructed over the fresh graves of the Black Death victims.

The majority of the 4902 verses emanates from two much older Passion Plays dating before 1634: A Middle Age Passion Play (Second half of the 15th century) whose manuscript was found at the Benedictine monastery St Ulrich und Afra in Augsburg. The second text is the Passion-”Tragedi” of the singer Sebastian Wild from Augsburg dating from 1566.

5th Passion Play Year - after 1634, 1644, 1654 and 1664:
Enhancement of the passion lyrics by scenes which were taken from the Weilheim Passion Play (1600, 1615) of the Priest J. Älb who also copied it from a mediaeval draft.

For the first time the Passion Plays were acted by musical parts.
In front of the Gothic Cross which is located at the altar of the today’s Oberammergau Local parish church, the Passion Play was praised during the Black-Death in 1633.

6th Passion Play Year - The Local Authority decides to act the Passion Plays on a ten year cycle.

12th Passion Play Year - Lyrics version by the Oberammergau Priest and the Rottenbucher Probst Clemens Praser (1703-1770).
Presumably two acts.

13th Passion Play Year - Critical announcement of the Rationalistic Age that the sanctified secrets should be disclosed and not be played on stage. As a consequence the inhabitants of Oberammergau answer with reorganisation.

The Ettaler Benedictine Ferdinand Rosner (1709-1778) was a religious, skilled, experienced man of theatre and rhetoric. He registers all 8457 verses of the spiritual Barocktheater. Rosner Lyrics are widely distributed in the Bavarian area.

Oberammergau becomes the overall concept for other Passion Play locations.

Direction and single innovations of the lyrics by Joseph A. Daisenberger (1799-1833, since 1845 Local Priest in Oberammergau) His public educational virtue evolves the historian and dramatical work.

An elected Passion Play commission will organize the Play.

For the first time statistic reports in English and French about the Passion Play

32nd Passion Play Year - 420.000 spectators at the new staging of G.J.Langs. For the first time it is a modern direction theatre. Simplicity and artistic instead of scenography.

Satellisation of all the configurations which was in a consistent expression.

Georg J. Lang and his Brother, the architect Raimund Lang, are replacing the historical stage from 1980 by a clear ascetical, monumental new stage and even the spectator hall increased to 5200 seats.

39th Passion Play Year - There is an alternation of generations at the Local Authority in 1984. It is decided to act the Daisenberger Passion of 1990. Then suddenly the election of the youngest director ever - 27 year old sculptor Christian Stückl. The question, whether married and elder women are allowed to act also was positively decided. (In addition almost 480.000 visitors watch the Passion Play)

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