Join Us in 2030 for Oberammergau's Passion Play

One German village’s promise from centuries ago has now become a play so renowned, over half a million flock to see it each year it is staged. However, this play only sees the limelight every ten years. The Oberammergau Passion Play is a staple of Bavaria, and an extraordinary display of art that brings people together from all over the world. Every decade, performances run from May to October just to accommodate the sheer number of attendees. The next play, being performed in 2030, will be the 43rd performance, and you’ll have the opportunity to see it with Grand Circle and O.A.T. Keep your eyes open for an upcoming announcement about these exciting limited-space departures.

The History of Oberammergau’s Passion Play

Legend says that in 1633, a plague struck a small village in the Bavarian Alps. As The Thirty Years’ War spread through central Europe, so did a surplus of armies, and because of it, a plague struck the land. A small village, Oberammergau, was hit so hard by the sickness that in just 33 days, about half of their population was lost. The remaining townsfolk gathered and prayed. They made a vow to God that if he were to spare the town from any further suffering, they would perform an intricate play depicting Jesus’ death, also known as the Passion, every decade, for the rest of time. Upon the moment of the vow, no more villagers died of the plague.

A few months later, in 1634, Oberammergau performed their first Passion Play on a stage set up over the cemetery of the plague victims. Since then, the play has been performed every ten years, save for a few decades where extraneous circumstances have prevented it. Some years, due to political turmoil, the play was presented off cycle, just after its ten-year mark. Only twice has the play ever missed its performance: once in 1770 due to Prince-Elector Maximilian III Joseph briefly banning all Passion Plays in Bavaria, and again in 1940 due to World War II. The most recent disturbance was in 2020, when the play was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and performed in 2022 instead.

What does the play look like today?

The Passion Play has become quite the production, performed on what has now become an open-air stage known as the Passion Theater, which holds 5,208 people. Beginning in the late afternoon, the five-hour play has a three-hour intermission, where viewers and actors alike can break for dinner. It then resumes and continues into the late evening. Over 2,000 people contribute to the production of the play, from actors and musicians to stage technicians and directors. And, each person involved in the production is a resident of the village—which is astounding, considering Oberammergau’s population is currently around 5,300 people. Beforehand, visitors can see villagers dressed up as Romans and apostles casually strolling the streets of Oberammergau as they prepare for their show, blurring the lines between past and present, adding to this Passion Play’s uniqueness.

Comprised of acted scenes, monologues, choral pieces, and musical interludes, this play is an amalgamation of theatrical forms. The Passion Play also uses tableaux vivants, which roughly translates to “living pictures.” This art form consists of actors forming still scenes, or images, that mirror moments of the Passion. In these scenes, they remain still while performing dramatic spoken texts. Showcasing the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the script is lined with scenes from the Old Testament, beginning with a prologue of Adam and Eve. In the last few decades, however, the script has been reformed, removing prejudices held by those of the 1600s. 

The play, with its hundreds of thousands of visitors each decade, has had lasting effects on both the world and the small village of Oberammergau. From far and wide, people of all countries make the trek to Germany to witness this age-old tradition, and those who do often have to prepare years in advance. Likewise, Oberammergau prepares in advance to host thousands of guests. Although, they don’t seem to be mad about it at all—the play has funded so many of the town’s needs that there is a local saying, “Die Passion zahlt” (The Passion will pay for it).

Stay tuned in the coming weeks for an announcement about opportunities to see the Oberammergau Passion Play with Grand Circle and O.A.T.