Oberammergau Passion Play
Oberammergau Passion Play 2010
A play of life and death, promised in a moment of mortal threat, and so began the history of the Oberammergau Passion Play in 1633. In the midst of the horror of the 30 years' war, the dreaded plague swept across Europe. High in the Bavarian Alps, the citizens of Oberammergau attempted to seal themselves off from the outside world. When a homesick young man sneaked into the village and brought the pestilence with him, 84 residents died within 3 weeks. In desperation, the town council made a solemn vow that if God would stop the plague, out of gratitude, they would present a play depicting the life and suffering of Christ for the duration of their existence. Miraculously, the plague took no more lives in the town. True to their word, the villagers performed their first play in 1634, & have continued to do so to this day.
About the Play
The Passion Play is performed every 10 years in the city of Oberammergau, Germany. The play takes place out doors where the sky and mountains are the back drop. A wonderful spectacle of pageantry. World renown for the costumes and music presentation. Now, more than 2,000 citizens make up the actors, singers, instrumentalists and stage technicians that bring the play to life in approximately six hours of playing time.
The year 2010 marks the 41st time the story will be presented in Oberammergau. The play comprises spoken dramatic text, musical and choral accompaniment and tableaux vivants. The tableaux vivants are scenes from the Old Testament depicted for the audience by motionless actors accompanied by verbal description. These scenes are the basis for the relationship between the Old and New Testament, of the play. They include a scene of the brothers selling Joseph into slavery in Egypt, and Moses raising up the bronze serpent in the wilderness. The remainder of the performance is a dramatic presentation depicting the Passion of Christ: the trial, suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
The Passion Play operates for 5 months from May through October.
Date of performances are every day except for Mondays and Wednesdays.
The play will start at 2.30 pm and end at 10:30 pm every day. It is only one play each day with an intermission of 3 hours for dinner. So part 1 will be from 2.30 pm to 5 pm and part 2 from 8 pm to 10.30 pm.
The play runs for approximately five and a half five and a half hours with an intermission of three hours. A meal is served during the intermission of the play. Audiences come from all over the world, often on packaged tours. We offer over 38 itineraries that travel to Oberammergau.
The year 2010 marks the 41st time the story will be presented in Oberammergau. The play comprises spoken dramatic text, musical and choral accompaniment and tableaux vivants. The tableaux vivants are scenes from the Old Testament depicted for the audience by motionless actors accompanied by verbal description. These scenes are the basis for the relationship between the Old and New Testament, of the play. They include a scene of the brothers selling Joseph into slavery in Egypt, and Moses raising up the bronze serpent in the wilderness. The remainder of the performance is a dramatic presentation depicting the Passion of Christ: the trial, suffering and death of Jesus Christ.
The Passion Play operates for 5 months from May through October.
Date of performances are every day except for Mondays and Wednesdays.
The play will start at 2.30 pm and end at 10:30 pm every day. It is only one play each day with an intermission of 3 hours for dinner. So part 1 will be from 2.30 pm to 5 pm and part 2 from 8 pm to 10.30 pm.
The play runs for approximately five and a half five and a half hours with an intermission of three hours. A meal is served during the intermission of the play. Audiences come from all over the world, often on packaged tours. We offer over 38 itineraries that travel to Oberammergau.
