Passion plays are religious dramas that originated in the medieval times. They deal with the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Early plays originated in Europe during the middle ages and were a way to teach people of Christianity. They were originally performed by monks entirely in Latin, but eventually the community members started joining and switched to performing in the common language. By the fifteenth century, passion plays had shifted entirely from church rituals to dramatic performances.
Passion play performances were particularly common through Germany and Austria. Some versions lasted multiple days and became closely intertwined with the growth of the cities in which they were being presented. Such plays would often bring messages of second chances, forgiveness, and hope into communities that struggled with poverty and crime.
Plays started becoming increasingly elaborate and even featured hundreds of actors sometimes in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The longest running passion play that is still performed today is the Oberammergau Passion Play, which has been performed since 1634 by inhabitants of a village in Germany.
Passion plays also unfortunately play a role in the history of antisemitism; they blamed the death of Jesus entirely on Jews. Some believe that anti-Jewish violence would follow performances. Scenery of passion plays were very simple. There were no side scenes and little to no stage perspective. Representations were very unrealistic due to their simplicity. For example, a mountain could be represented by a large barrel on its side.
Sources cited:
Bourgeois, C. (2015, December 10). Passion plays: A historical tradition, an exploration of faith and community. Profile Theatre. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://profiletheatre.org/backstage/passion-plays-a-description/
Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (n.d.). Passion play. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/art/Passion-play-dramatic-genre
What is a passion play? Passion Plays. (2022, February 8). Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://www.passion-plays.co.uk/about/
Passion play. (2019, January 17). New World Encyclopedia, . Retrieved June 5, 2022 from https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/p/index.php?title=Passion_play&oldid=1017364.
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