Oberammergau Passion Play
Oberammergau is a small German town located in southern Germany, but every 10 years, that small German town is transformed into something else.
Since 1634 the small town of Oberammergau hosts a passion play every 10th year, a play depicting the life of Jesus, specifically the last 5 days of his life.
2010 Will mark the 41st passion play year, with the play premiering on May 15th and ending on October 3rd.
Oberammergau expects in upwards of 500,000 people to watch the102 performances this year.
The origin of the play started back in 1633, when the Plague took the lives of 80 residents of Oberammergau, a tiny town that could ill afford the loss of so many lives.
The town's people vowed to perform a passion play every 10 years if God would promise to save Oberammergau from the affects of the Plague.
Passion plays were common during this time of the Plague, but few towns held their promise like Oberammergau did.
Oberammergau has held that promise for 376 years, and puts on the spectacle that is the Oberammergau Passion Play every 10 years.
The play is based on the Biblical story of the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, starting with Jesus entering Jerusalem up until his death, and finishes with the resurrection of Jesus.
The play had held the same script since 1860, written by priest Josef Alois Daisenberger, with minor changes in the 1970's and 1980's.
The play has also evolved to include other stories from the Old Testament, scenes that take place in between the acts of the main story.
Stories such as Adam and Eve and the Golden Calf are now featured in the performance.
The play itself lasts for 5 hours, with 2010 performances starting at 2:30pm and ending at 10:30pm.
The play stops for 3 hours in between to allow for a dinner break.
The performance is giving strictly in German, but like a good opera, you don't need to speak German to understand what is going on.
The acting, music, song and dance all help to tell the story to all, even those who don't speak German.
With the play itself lasting 5 hours each, and 102 performances scheduled this year, the main acting roles are given to 2 actors or actresses; one will perform one night and the other on the next.
This way spectators are guaranteed a fresh performer, as a 5 hour play can be both physically and mentally exhausting.
The performers for the play are chosen under strict parameters as well.
Each performer must be a resident of Oberammergau for at least 20 years, which has held true since the inception of the play in 1634.
Don't miss out on your chance to witness a truly amazing spectacle in the Oberammergau Passion Play, the most famous passion play in the world.
Since 1634 the small town of Oberammergau hosts a passion play every 10th year, a play depicting the life of Jesus, specifically the last 5 days of his life.
2010 Will mark the 41st passion play year, with the play premiering on May 15th and ending on October 3rd.
Oberammergau expects in upwards of 500,000 people to watch the102 performances this year.
The origin of the play started back in 1633, when the Plague took the lives of 80 residents of Oberammergau, a tiny town that could ill afford the loss of so many lives.
The town's people vowed to perform a passion play every 10 years if God would promise to save Oberammergau from the affects of the Plague.
Passion plays were common during this time of the Plague, but few towns held their promise like Oberammergau did.
Oberammergau has held that promise for 376 years, and puts on the spectacle that is the Oberammergau Passion Play every 10 years.
The play is based on the Biblical story of the crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, starting with Jesus entering Jerusalem up until his death, and finishes with the resurrection of Jesus.
The play had held the same script since 1860, written by priest Josef Alois Daisenberger, with minor changes in the 1970's and 1980's.
The play has also evolved to include other stories from the Old Testament, scenes that take place in between the acts of the main story.
Stories such as Adam and Eve and the Golden Calf are now featured in the performance.
The play itself lasts for 5 hours, with 2010 performances starting at 2:30pm and ending at 10:30pm.
The play stops for 3 hours in between to allow for a dinner break.
The performance is giving strictly in German, but like a good opera, you don't need to speak German to understand what is going on.
The acting, music, song and dance all help to tell the story to all, even those who don't speak German.
With the play itself lasting 5 hours each, and 102 performances scheduled this year, the main acting roles are given to 2 actors or actresses; one will perform one night and the other on the next.
This way spectators are guaranteed a fresh performer, as a 5 hour play can be both physically and mentally exhausting.
The performers for the play are chosen under strict parameters as well.
Each performer must be a resident of Oberammergau for at least 20 years, which has held true since the inception of the play in 1634.
Don't miss out on your chance to witness a truly amazing spectacle in the Oberammergau Passion Play, the most famous passion play in the world.
