Oberammergau, Germany boasts of a tradition that was born out of desperation in 1633.   When Germany was occupied by the Swedish army for 30 years Bavaria was ravaged by the Bubonic Plague.  The councilors of Oberammergau, hoping to acquire God’s help, swore a vow to perform the Passion Tragedy every 10 years if the Plague would end. The epidemic ceased in 1634 and the Oberammergauers fulfilled their vow for the first time.    The 5 1/2 hour play depicts the life of Jesus of Nazareth, and more specifically the last 5 days.

This theatre now stands where the simple structure of 370 years ago once stood.  It holds 4800 people.  Nearly half of the 5,000 inhabitants of Oberammergau are part of the performance every 10 years.  The auditioning men must be in full length hair and beards come time for try-outs.  21 main characters are double cast and they all take a guided trip to Israel to get a feel for where Jesus walked.  1000 men and women are used on stage for each performance.  A fresh cast every other night.  To be cast you must be a resident of Oberammergau for at least 20 years. The play starts at 2:30, a 3 hour break is taken and then it starts up again, ending at 10:30.  5 performances a week from the middle of May until the first of October.  The 4800 seat theatre continues to sell out all 110 performances each year.

Our tour guide had been in the play 3 times and explained that the men of the community choose to give up their profession for 1 year to be a part of the commitment. They pay the actors 110 euros a day, I’m unclear if that was for the 6 months of performing or for their rehearsal time too.

The clothing of the town’s people.

This is the dressing room for the main men,  the table has been used in the performances for the last 200 years.  The clothing is made new every 10 years by 20 local ladies that sew them with material from India.  There were many dressing rooms in the large back stage area that doubles as a museum for tourists.  The halls lined with shields of Roman guards.

Jesus of Nazareth’s dressing room.

The 2 men who portray Jesus must be strong physically as well as mentally and emotionally.  They must be able to lug this 140 pound cross, hang on it for 20 minutes with just a thin groin cloth, sometimes in inclement weather.  There is a portable roof that can be used although one year Jesus hung in the snow during an October performance.

It is a willingness of the whole village to perform the story of the life and suffering of Jesus of Nazareth every ten years, in a communal effort, as a story of hope and salvation for the world.