Pastoral Letter
Dear Friends,
In 1633 the villagers of Oberammergau were facing the onset of both invasion by the Swedes and a devastating attack of the plague. The villagers turned to God for help, and promised Him that they would perform a play depicting the passion of Christ every ten years if He would spare the village from both threats. The village was spared, and so the villagers kept their side of the bargain, and the passion play was produced. From 1680 the play was indeed produced every ten years, with the exception of 1770 when the local Baron banned it, and 1940 when the 2nd world war intervened.
The Passion Play has remained an integral part of the village life ever since. It is performed exclusively by amateur actors, who were either born in Oberammergau, or have lived there for the past 20 years. In the year 2000, some 2,200 of the 5,300 or so inhabitants were involved either on stage or backstage, 550 of them children.
The performances initially took place on a simple wooden construction erected in the cemetery alongside the church, but the site of today's theatre has served as the venue for the play from 1830 onwards. The stage, which has been constantly rebuilt and technically improved, was given its present monumental structure in 1930. In 1900, a roof was added to the auditorium, which has seats for some 4,800 spectators. The terraces rising towards the back of the auditorium ensure a good view from every seat of the open-air stage, where the play is performed whatever the weather. The Passion Play Theatre was given a new facade and its technology brought bang up to date as part of a general renewal and refurbishment carried out in preparation for the Passion Play 2000.
The basis for the present-day script originally came from Othmar Weis, a Benedictine monk, and was revised between 1850 and 1868 by the village vicar of that time, Joseph Alois Daisenberger. A special feature of the play is its living tableaux: colourful scenes from the Old Testament, which are woven into the story of the Passion in the form of still-life pictures. The music, which, with choral and prologue performances, considerably determines the character of the play. Between 1811 and 1820, Oberammergau's teacher and church musician Rochus Dedler wrote a sensitive score which has accompanied the Passion Play ever since.
It is this unique performance continuity over more than three centuries that has made the Oberammergau Passion Play the greatest and best known in the world. The audience's emotional response to the play, and the ten-year cycle, has made it a rare and much-demanded event. This success story would have been impossible, however, without the willingness of the entire village to make a mammoth community effort to play out the story of the suffering and death of Jesus of Nazareth, as a story of hope and redemption for the world, once every ten years.
I am keen that the Anglesey Group of Parishes offers the opportunity for folk from our five villages to have the opportunity to experience this unique event in 2010. You can take in the play and stay in the village for 2 nights and return home, or take in a linked tour of the Austrian Tyrol - the choice is yours. The main thing is that we all see the play together. The cost is likely to be from £500 per person for the two-day trip, to £1100 for an 8-day tour. As soon as you read this article, if you are interested, let me know by e-mail or 'phone, in order that we can gauge the likely level of interest. May God bless you all.