Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
There are some events so special, they only happen a few times in a lifetime. Germany’s Oberammergau Passion Play is one of those events.
For those who want to know more about the life of the savior while enjoying the beauty of the Bavarian Alps, attending the Passion Play is a bucket list item they can check off only once every 10 years, and that opportunity is coming again in 2020.
Here are five things to know about the play and the amazing little town in which it takes place.
The play has been in production for almost 400 years
Few plays can boast as extensive a history as the Oberammergau Passion Play. It was first performed in 1634 and has been performed every 10 years since then with only two exceptions (in 1770 when such passion plays were outlawed and in 1940 during World War II). Since its inception, it has been performed on open-air stages in the village and today’s script is based on a compilation of four original manuscripts from the 15th and 16th centuries.
The first performance came following an outbreak of plague
Plague outbreaks had recurred in Germany repeatedly for centuries. By March of 1633, bubonic plague was once more ravaging Oberammergau with a rise in the death rate of one person per 1,000 in October of 1632 to 20 per 1,000 in March 1633.
The people of Oberammergau were looking for a miracle. They prayed that God would spare them and their children. In return, they would perform a passion play commemorating the life and death of Jesus Christ every 10 years forever. By July 1633, the death rate had dropped to just one for the month. The people rejoiced and immediately began plans for their first passion play the following year.
Only residents of Oberammergau may perform
A special requirement to perform in the passion play is to have been a resident of Oberammergau for at least 20 years. With a population of only 5,000 people and a wide range of roles, about 2,400 of the town’s inhabitants will be directly involved in the play. Each speaking role has two assigned performers to allow for less interference in the actor’s normal jobs and activities.
This year, visitors to Oberammergau will notice the men have already begun preparing for their 2020 performances. According to the play’s website, tradition dictates that actors whose roles require them to have a beard give up shaves and haircuts beginning Ash Wednesday before the play begins. Only people playing Roman soldiers and members of the orchestra, the fire department and medical services are exempt.
Rochus Ruckel and Frederick Mayet, the two men slated to play the part of Jesus next year, met at Oberammergau’s hairdressing salon in the week before Ash Wednesday to have their hair and beard cut a final time. Mayet says that “with the hair growing one also grows into the role bit by bit.”
Visitors report intense reactions to the play
As might be expected, the intense events of the play evoke intense reactions in those attending. S. Michael Wilcox, PhD., says he has attended two passion plays. “I left Oberammergau both in the year 2000 and 2010 desiring and determined to try to live up to the Savior I love and into whose life I had so intimately been drawn,” Wilcox says. Because the passion play is so moving and has so profoundly affected him spiritually, Wilcox plans to return again in 2020 as leader of a tour group.
“I was not sure what to expect but was soon won over by the simple faith and goodness of the people and their magnificent scenery.” Wilcox, formerly an instructor at the LDS Institute of Religion adjacent to the University of Utah, says, “They (personally) had not been saved by the devastation of plague, but their commitment to the Lord who had saved their ancestors still burned bright and strong.”
Every performance sells out months in advance
Getting a ticket to this centuries-old play is not easy. Because of its popularity and rarity, every performance will sell out completely. Each performance has room for about 5,000 attendees. It is performed in two sessions, the first from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and the second from 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. A dinner break splits the two. While the stage is partially open air (with roof covering for viewers) the performances are not canceled due to rain.
The 2020 season, which will be the 42nd year in which the play has been performed, will stretch from May 16 to Oct. 4 with five performances each week. Even those with tickets may have difficulty finding lodgings, with some staying as far as several villages away.
Because tickets and accommodations are difficult to come by, visitors interested in attending the play are encouraged to contact a local tour company experienced with handling arrangements for the program. Spaces sell out quickly and every decade there are far more people who hope to attend than there are available slots. Traveling with a tour group allows you to focus on enjoying the play without worrying about tickets, hotels and transportation.
