The Oberammergau Passion Play 2010.

Passion Play 2010 - a unique cultural experience.

The History of the Passion Play.

The Oberammergau Passion Play dates back to the year  1633, when, in the middle of the Thirty Years' War and after months of suffering and death at the hands of the plague, the residents of Oberammergau vowed to put on the "play about the suffering, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ" every ten years.

The villagers kept their vow for the first time at Whitsuntide in 1634.

Already by the middle of the 18th century, people were travelling to Oberammergau from all over Germany to watch the performance, attracted by the play's great power and significance.

In 2010, the community will be putting on the play for the 41st time, maintaining the unique tradition that the villagers have carried over the centuries. In a five-hour-long performance, more than 2,000 participants bring the story of Jesus of Nazareth to life on the impressive open-air stage of the Passion Play Theatre.

Almost half of Oberammergau's residents devotedly depict the story of a man whose message still, after 2,000 years, brings hope and strength to an amazing number of people.

The villagers present his life from his arrival in Jerusalem right through to his death on the cross and his resurrection. The new production will be the result of an incredible collaborative effort involving Christian Stückl and the artistic team behind the celebrated Passion Play 2000, as well as the stage designer Stefan Hageneier and the conductors Markus Zwink and Michael Bocklet.

The actors playing the roles of Jesus, Mary, Pontius Pilate, the apostles, children, soldiers and priests will have practiced the revised text for over ten months, during which time the orchestra and singers will also have rehearsed the inimitable music of composer Rochus Dedler. In 2010, the performance will for the first time begin in the afternoon, and after an interval the second part will continue on into evening.

In 2010, the residents of Oberammergau will prove that the play remains relevant 376 years on, making it into a unique cultural experience. The premiere takes place on Saturday the 15th of May, 2010. The Passion Play will be performed on a total of 102 days.

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