The Passion is on!
THE PASSION IS ON! Oberammergau Passion Play
Nearly 400 years ago the history of the Passion Play began. The plague raged in many parts of Europe and did not spare Oberammergau either.
In 1633 the Oberammergau villagers promised to perform the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ every tenth year, in so far as no one was to die of the plague anymore. The villagers were answered by God and therefore in 1634 the first Passion Play took place. The promise has been kept until today. 2020 the Passion Play had to be postponed for two years due to the corona-pandemic. The 42nd Oberammergau Passion Play will now take place from 14 May to 2 October 2022.
Today preparations for the Oberammergau Passion Play 2022 are in full swing. Read all about what is going on behind the scenes. Actors, musicians and workers backstage are buzzing with excitement. The premiere is set for May 14th, 2022. “We are rehearsing almost every day, costumes are being fitted, the finishing touches on the stage design are made.”, says director Christian Stückl.
Passion Play Tours 2022
History repeats itself - or does it? There were moments in the past year and a half when anyone familiar with the chronicle of the Oberammergau Passion Play briefly caught their breath.
First of all, there was the coincidence that exactly one hundred years earlier the Play had already been cancelled and postponed for two years. The culprits were the Spanish flu in 1920 and the losses of the First World War. Many performers and musicians had been seriously wounded or killed in action.
And then, of course: the prehistory of almost 400 years of Passion Play. The epidemic that ravaged the country in 1633, in the midst of the Thirty Years‘ War. The burning plague fires and the fear. The small village that was able to seal itself off from the “Black Death” just long enough until - so the legend goes - an infected day laborer in quarantine was seized by longing for his family. 84 people died. The pious vow to perform a Play of the Suffering, Death and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ every ten years from then on was to save the community from further plague deaths. To this day, the same vow is solemnly renewed at the same rhythm.
Read more about the history of the Passion Play, find out what is happening now as performers, musicians, costume designers and stage crew prepare for opening night May 14th. Learn more about the 2 actors who will portray Jesus Christ in the special edition publication of the Oberammergau 2022 Passion Play.