The Canadian Badlands Passion Play
Encyclopedia
The Canadian Badlands Passion Play is a passion play
performed annually since 1994 in Drumheller, Alberta. The play takes place every July in a natural bowl amphitheater found in the Drumheller Valley. The outdoor stage was chosen for its likeness to the hills found near Jerusalem, Israel
, as well as the superb natural acoustics. It follows the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus found in the Gospels, told through drama and music, using nearly 300 performers. The play begins with the Baptism
of Jesus
by John the Baptist
, and ends with the Great Commission
of the disciples
. It is a large attraction to Drumheller, an area already known for its tourism industry. The play draws audience members from across Alberta, Canada, and internationally, some coming as pilgrims, others simply coming to see a large scale professional theatre production.
and Rosebud School of the Arts
, Laverne Erickson, formed a steering committee and began gaining the support of local community organizations for what would become the Canadian Badlands Passion Play. 1990 held the charter meeting for the establishment of a passion play, and thus was born the Canadian Badlands Passion Play Society. The Honourable Gordon Taylor
, Former Minister of Highways for Alberta and Member of the Legislative Assembly
for the Drumheller Riding, was presented with the title of Honourary Chairman for the Society. Mr. Taylor had, during the 1960s, put forth efforts in Drumheller to produce a passion play for the area, but the project was never started due to several factors. The name Canadian Badlands was chosen due to the topographical similarity of the Badlands
to the Israeli countryside surrounding Jerusalem.
The society set Summer 1994 as its goal for the first production of the show. 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) of land were obtained, in addition to another 65 acres (263,045.9 m²) owned in conjunction with the Drumheller Valley Ski Hill. In July of that year, the Canadian Badlands Passion Play held its premiere performance, filling the 1150 available seats. The original playwright, Kathy Covert, directed the show.
The next years saw the introduction of many changes and upgrades, including an increase in seating, the building of a choir loft, expansion of the set, and various script changes. Regional choir rehearsals occurred throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan
. 1998 saw the Society’s first Winter Choir Concert Series in Lethbridge
, Calgary
, and Red Deer
.
In the year 2001, the Jerusalem Wall Project opened its first phase. The project meant to replicate on a smaller scale the actual Jerusalem Wall in Israel. The Jerusalem Wall through the years has housed many services including a concession, gift shop, black box theatre, interpretive museum
, wardrobe
, production offices, storage and a rehearsal space. Many of these facilities continue to exist as such. 2003 introduced a variety of small scale dramatic performances on the site, although this initiative lasted only three years.
In 2006, partly in response to declining ticket sales, the performance was completely updated, with a new script, written by Royal Sproule, and new music by Bill Hamm, both of whom held a reputable history with Rosebud theatre and Rosebud School of the Arts. Auditions were held province wide, and other changes were made including the expansion of the musical instrumentation, and the insertion of a narrator character in order to aid audience comprehension of time and location changes in the storyline.
January 18,2011 The Passion Play Society celebrated the 20th anniversary of its founding. A commemorative heritage coffee table book with photographs will focus on the past five years of plays and appear in a story format, telling the story of the life of Jesus based on the book of Matthew, the tax collector.
July 15, the 100th performance of the Passion Play will take to the outdoor amphitheatre and kick off its 2011 season.
Playwright Royal Sproule has written a new script that will focus on retelling the life of Christ through the eyes of the John the apostle, the choir will joining actors on stage, and the play itself running for seven nights instead of six.
The Passion Play also debuts a new sound reinforcement system for its 2011 performances.
The three-dimensional sound system will enhance the audiences’ audio experiences, and strategically place sound (both voice and music) that keeps audiences engaged as the visual action unfolds in front them. The audience will feel more like they are in the play rather than just watching it. This modification was also completed to accommodate those with difficulty hearing.
In 2008, a new tag-line for the passion play emerged; "An authentic experience with the life of Jesus Christ". This reflects another aspect of the society's mandate, which is to provide an authentic encounter with Jesus. The Society is also mandated to build awareness and skill in the arts, through the production of the annual play and through various events through the year.
, condensed into three hours. It is similar in many ways to other passion plays of similar scale. Action occurs in every viewable space on the set, including the hills and audience area. The performance occurs in nearly any weather, with the exception of weather that threatens the safety of viewers or performers.
style music of the prior script, and moved more towards a musical underpinning present through most of the performance. This music plays much like a film score, heightening drama and enhancing the overall artistry. The choir pulls from English
and Hebrew religious texts, as well as providing a dramatic vocalise style underscoring at times for scenes on stage. In 2006 instrumentation grew from a single electric keyboard
, to include trumpets, euphonium
, tuba
, timpani
and other percussion, and other instruments. Portions of the music are drawn from Hebrew folksongs, and one piece in particular from Antonio Vivaldi
’s Gloria
. Others nod to the Classical canon of composers, such as Mozart. Some of the music if based on modal textures, such as the Phrygian dominant scale
(also known as Ahava Rabboh, Freygish, Hijaz maqam, or Jewish Scale) which is constructed by raising the third note of the Phrygian
modal scale
.
, and even Ontario
. It is composed mainly of volunteer amateur actors and musicians, however also involves a few notable professionals, such as actors from Canadian Actor’s Equity Association. Performers number in at nearly 300 people annually, though the precise number fluctuates from year to year.
. New music and lyrics were written by the Society founder Laverne Erickson. The script was used for the subsequent 11 years of the production, with annual edits and updates, in order to keep the show fresh. Scenes were added and deleted according to playwright and director tastes.
Over time there developed a marketplace, which took place behind the main action, keeping the full cast involved for most of the show. In 2006, partly in response to declining ticket sales, as well as a desire for a fresher production, a new script was written by Royal Sproule (with excerts taken with permission from Murray Watts' "Miracle Maker"), and music was written by Bill Hamm, both of whom are quite prominent in the Rosebud Theatre community. The new script saw a move away from many of the crowd oriented scenes, and more significantly the crowd marketplace backdrop from which characters were drawn for certain scenes, as well as the established pre-show in favour of scenes more focused on individual relationships within the story. In recent years, a pre-show performance has begun to be re-established, and patrons have remarked on the role of the crowd members in the story. The crowd now functions almost as an individual character due to choreographed movement at different moments in the show.
The new script gave a new approach to the story. The idea was to bring in artistic theatrical techniques in order to make it powerful and entertaining, while remaining true to the story. Allusions were made to Shakespeare’s Henry V
, most significantly, the opening speech by delivered by Matthew, which is derived largely from the Chorus' introduction. Several surrealistic and symbolic theatre techniques were employed. The script also made more nods to the humanity of the characters, particularly the disciples and female followers, and made greater use of their relationships and interactions with one another.
2011 will debut a new script that will focus on retelling the life of Christ through the eyes of the John the apostle, playwright Royal Sproule has written.
By working with the original Biblical text, Sproule uses what he hesitantly calls “pageantry” to pull the audience in, yet warns that, while Matthew was an easy story to digest, John doesn’t pull any punches.
, through the vehicle of Matthew the Evangelist
, disciple and traditional writer of one of the gospel accounts(The Gospel according to Matthew). This gave the story a personal touch, allowing the audience to see what the situation may have been like through the eyes of one of his followers. The narrator character also allows scenes to move between times and locales with greater ease, and helping the audience to understand these leaps with greater fluidity.
The most recent edition of the script gives portions of the narration to the character of Mary Magdalene
, giving the perspective of one of Jesus’ most dedicated female followers, a story not often heard.
loft, although the recent addition of a musicians' platform has decreased this number slightly. The stage itself has undergone massive upgrades over the years. It currently holds a large set building that serves both as a backstage and as a prop storage during the off-season. A large cement paddock is at the front of the building marking areas known as the “temple
” and the “marketplace”. A large stone threshing floor
, clay oven, and a grinding wheel
lie adjacent to the building. Some aspects of the stage were used during the 11-year run of the old script, before the 2006 change, largely as part of the marketplace backdrop. After the script change was made and the marketplace was no longer used as such, staging no longer required some of these stage areas, and they become largely a part of the atmosphere of the play, rather than a part of the show directly. The front of the stage is marked by a large wooden dock, representing the coast of Lake Gennesaret (or the Sea of Galilee
) and other bodies of water. Carved into one hill are stairs leading up to “Calvary”, and at its base lie tombs which are used at various points in the production. The entire area is used in the production, including the surrounding hillside.
cemetery. Hundreds of fossils have been found in the hills surrounding the Drumheller region, and many are uncovered on a regular basis. Amidst this backdrop of evolutionary processes frozen in action, Drumheller is home to a fervent community of Evangelical
and devout Christians, many of whom are vocal proponents of seven day creationism
. In the hills can be found a colossal statue of Jesus, and the town is home to dozens of churches and other religious centers. It is also the site of a biker church rally. Recently a Christian rock festival has been organized on the passion play site. This apparent clash has even become the topic for 2005 Canadian Broadcasting Company Documentary "The Cross and Bones".
Seating was expanded and in 2010 the website featured for the first time an online ticketing system where patrons can even choose the seat they’d like if booked early.
Improvements and repairs were made to the set and set buildings as well.
Im 2011 the implementation of a $100,000 three dimensional surround sound system to enhance the audiences’ audio experiences and accommodate those with difficulty hearing.
Passion play
A Passion play is a dramatic presentation depicting the Passion of Jesus Christ: his trial, suffering and death. It is a traditional part of Lent in several Christian denominations, particularly in Catholic tradition....
performed annually since 1994 in Drumheller, Alberta. The play takes place every July in a natural bowl amphitheater found in the Drumheller Valley. The outdoor stage was chosen for its likeness to the hills found near Jerusalem, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, as well as the superb natural acoustics. It follows the story of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus found in the Gospels, told through drama and music, using nearly 300 performers. The play begins with the Baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
by John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
, and ends with the Great Commission
Great Commission
The Great Commission, in Christian tradition, is the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples, that they spread his teachings to all the nations of the world. It has become a tenet in Christian theology emphasizing missionary work, evangelism, and baptism...
of the disciples
Disciple (Christianity)
In Christianity, the disciples were the students of Jesus during his ministry. While Jesus attracted a large following, the term disciple is commonly used to refer specifically to "the Twelve", an inner circle of men whose number perhaps represented the twelve tribes of Israel...
. It is a large attraction to Drumheller, an area already known for its tourism industry. The play draws audience members from across Alberta, Canada, and internationally, some coming as pilgrims, others simply coming to see a large scale professional theatre production.
History
In 1988 the founder of the Rosebud TheatreRosebud Theatre
Rosebud Theatre, located in the hamlet of Rosebud, Alberta, Canada, is the only professional rural theatre in Alberta. It produces four mainstage shows a year, attracting over 40,000 people per year to the hamlet of about 100 people....
and Rosebud School of the Arts
Rosebud School of the Arts
Rosebud School of the Arts is a post-secondary guild school that provides theatre training within a community of professional artists.Located in the little hamlet of Rosebud, Alberta, Canada, one hour north east of Calgary, Rosebud School of the Arts trains students for the professional theatre in...
, Laverne Erickson, formed a steering committee and began gaining the support of local community organizations for what would become the Canadian Badlands Passion Play. 1990 held the charter meeting for the establishment of a passion play, and thus was born the Canadian Badlands Passion Play Society. The Honourable Gordon Taylor
Gordon Taylor
Gordon Edward Taylor was a Canadian politician, businessman and teacher.-Provincial political career:He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in the 1940 provincial election representing Drumheller for Social Credit and continued to sit in the legislature for 39 years...
, Former Minister of Highways for Alberta and Member of the Legislative Assembly
Member of the Legislative Assembly
A Member of the Legislative Assembly or a Member of the Legislature , is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to the legislature or legislative assembly of a sub-national jurisdiction....
for the Drumheller Riding, was presented with the title of Honourary Chairman for the Society. Mr. Taylor had, during the 1960s, put forth efforts in Drumheller to produce a passion play for the area, but the project was never started due to several factors. The name Canadian Badlands was chosen due to the topographical similarity of the Badlands
Badlands
A badlands is a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded by wind and water. It can resemble malpaís, a terrain of volcanic rock. Canyons, ravines, gullies, hoodoos and other such geological forms are common in badlands. They are often...
to the Israeli countryside surrounding Jerusalem.
The society set Summer 1994 as its goal for the first production of the show. 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) of land were obtained, in addition to another 65 acres (263,045.9 m²) owned in conjunction with the Drumheller Valley Ski Hill. In July of that year, the Canadian Badlands Passion Play held its premiere performance, filling the 1150 available seats. The original playwright, Kathy Covert, directed the show.
The next years saw the introduction of many changes and upgrades, including an increase in seating, the building of a choir loft, expansion of the set, and various script changes. Regional choir rehearsals occurred throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
. 1998 saw the Society’s first Winter Choir Concert Series in Lethbridge
Lethbridge
Lethbridge is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada, and the largest city in southern Alberta. It is Alberta's fourth-largest city by population after Calgary, Edmonton and Red Deer, and the third-largest by area after Calgary and Edmonton. The nearby Canadian Rockies contribute to the city's...
, Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, and Red Deer
Red Deer, Alberta
Red Deer is a city in Central Alberta, Canada. It is located near the midpoint of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor and is surrounded by Red Deer County. It is Alberta's third-most-populous city – after Calgary and Edmonton. The city is located in aspen parkland, a region of rolling hills...
.
In the year 2001, the Jerusalem Wall Project opened its first phase. The project meant to replicate on a smaller scale the actual Jerusalem Wall in Israel. The Jerusalem Wall through the years has housed many services including a concession, gift shop, black box theatre, interpretive museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
, wardrobe
Wardrobe
A Wardrobe is a cabinet used for storing clothes.Wardrobe may also refer to:* Wardrobe , a full set of multiple clothing items* Wardrobe , part of royal administration in medieval England...
, production offices, storage and a rehearsal space. Many of these facilities continue to exist as such. 2003 introduced a variety of small scale dramatic performances on the site, although this initiative lasted only three years.
In 2006, partly in response to declining ticket sales, the performance was completely updated, with a new script, written by Royal Sproule, and new music by Bill Hamm, both of whom held a reputable history with Rosebud theatre and Rosebud School of the Arts. Auditions were held province wide, and other changes were made including the expansion of the musical instrumentation, and the insertion of a narrator character in order to aid audience comprehension of time and location changes in the storyline.
January 18,2011 The Passion Play Society celebrated the 20th anniversary of its founding. A commemorative heritage coffee table book with photographs will focus on the past five years of plays and appear in a story format, telling the story of the life of Jesus based on the book of Matthew, the tax collector.
July 15, the 100th performance of the Passion Play will take to the outdoor amphitheatre and kick off its 2011 season.
Playwright Royal Sproule has written a new script that will focus on retelling the life of Christ through the eyes of the John the apostle, the choir will joining actors on stage, and the play itself running for seven nights instead of six.
The Passion Play also debuts a new sound reinforcement system for its 2011 performances.
The three-dimensional sound system will enhance the audiences’ audio experiences, and strategically place sound (both voice and music) that keeps audiences engaged as the visual action unfolds in front them. The audience will feel more like they are in the play rather than just watching it. This modification was also completed to accommodate those with difficulty hearing.
The Society Mandate
“The Society’s objectives are to tell the story of the life of Christ through the medium of the creative arts, and in so doing: to engender faith in Christ and thus enrich the lives of visitors and participants, to advance the arts, to foster community spirit, and to create a high quality, summer-long attraction of international interest and significance”
–The Canadian Badlands Passion Play Society-
In 2008, a new tag-line for the passion play emerged; "An authentic experience with the life of Jesus Christ". This reflects another aspect of the society's mandate, which is to provide an authentic encounter with Jesus. The Society is also mandated to build awareness and skill in the arts, through the production of the annual play and through various events through the year.
The Performance
The story takes the viewer through the course of Jesus' three year ministryMinistry of Jesus
In the Christian gospels, the Ministry of Jesus begins with his Baptism in the countryside of Judea, near the River Jordan and ends in Jerusalem, following the Last Supper with his disciples. The Gospel of Luke states that Jesus was "about 30 years of age" at the start of his ministry...
, condensed into three hours. It is similar in many ways to other passion plays of similar scale. Action occurs in every viewable space on the set, including the hills and audience area. The performance occurs in nearly any weather, with the exception of weather that threatens the safety of viewers or performers.
Music
Musical underscoring adds an extra element to the show. The play is infused with choral and instrumental music, as well as onstage singing and playing by cast members. The music which has been used since 2006 was written by Bill Hamm, a professor at Rosebud School of the Arts, and central figure in the Rosebud Theatre. This music shifted away from the choraleChorale
A chorale was originally a hymn sung by a Christian congregation. In certain modern usage, this term may also include classical settings of such hymns and works of a similar character....
style music of the prior script, and moved more towards a musical underpinning present through most of the performance. This music plays much like a film score, heightening drama and enhancing the overall artistry. The choir pulls from English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Hebrew religious texts, as well as providing a dramatic vocalise style underscoring at times for scenes on stage. In 2006 instrumentation grew from a single electric keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, to include trumpets, euphonium
Euphonium
The euphonium is a conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument. It derives its name from the Greek word euphonos, meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced"...
, tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
, timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
and other percussion, and other instruments. Portions of the music are drawn from Hebrew folksongs, and one piece in particular from Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Vivaldi
Antonio Lucio Vivaldi , nicknamed because of his red hair, was an Italian Baroque composer, priest, and virtuoso violinist, born in Venice. Vivaldi is recognized as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence during his lifetime was widespread over Europe...
’s Gloria
Gloria (Vivaldi)
Antonio Vivaldi wrote several settings of the Gloria. RV 589 is the most familiar and popular piece of sacred music by Vivaldi; however, he was known to have written at least three Gloria settings. Only two survive whilst the other is presumably lost and is only mentioned in the Kreuzherren...
. Others nod to the Classical canon of composers, such as Mozart. Some of the music if based on modal textures, such as the Phrygian dominant scale
Phrygian dominant scale
In music, the altered Phrygian scale or Freygish scale , featuring an unusual key signature and a distinctive augmented second interval, is the fifth mode of the harmonic minor scale, the fifth being the dominant...
(also known as Ahava Rabboh, Freygish, Hijaz maqam, or Jewish Scale) which is constructed by raising the third note of the Phrygian
Phrygian mode
The Phrygian mode can refer to three different musical modes: the ancient Greek tonos or harmonia sometimes called Phrygian, formed on a particular set octave species or scales; the Medieval Phrygian mode, and the modern conception of the Phrygian mode as a diatonic scale, based on the latter...
modal scale
Musical scale
In music, a scale is a sequence of musical notes in ascending and descending order. Most commonly, especially in the context of the common practice period, the notes of a scale will belong to a single key, thus providing material for or being used to conveniently represent part or all of a musical...
.
Performers
The body of performers is drawn from a pool of musicians and actors from across Alberta, and in some cases reaching into Saskatchewan, British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, and even Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. It is composed mainly of volunteer amateur actors and musicians, however also involves a few notable professionals, such as actors from Canadian Actor’s Equity Association. Performers number in at nearly 300 people annually, though the precise number fluctuates from year to year.
Wardrobe
The goal of the society is to present an authentic experience. Costumers in the Wardrobe department extensively research authentic first century garb in the Middle East. It was unlawful to have a graven image for the Jewish people of that time, and so there are little to no pictorial resources which can be drawn upon in the way of statues and engravings. Much of the wardrobe is therefore based upon text descriptions by historians, and the customs and culture of present day Orthodox Jews. Much is also drawn from studying the wardrobe and culture of the Bedouins, who have changed relatively little over the centuries. Many performers have multiple roles, and therefore multiple costumers, demanding a vast archive of costume pieces.Nature's Special Effects
A large part of the draw of an outdoor theatrical experience is the surrounding nature. Shows have been highlighted by sunsets, eagles, seagulls, gophers, wind, light rain, and timely cloud breaks. Even windstorms and rainstorms are known to enhance the experience of viewers.Script Evolution
The original script used in the show was written by Kathy Covert, who also wrote a portion of the lyrics for the music. This script was used for two years. In 1996, Randall Wiebe wrote a new script, based primarily on the Gospel of JohnGospel of John
The Gospel According to John , commonly referred to as the Gospel of John or simply John, and often referred to in New Testament scholarship as the Fourth Gospel, is an account of the public ministry of Jesus...
. New music and lyrics were written by the Society founder Laverne Erickson. The script was used for the subsequent 11 years of the production, with annual edits and updates, in order to keep the show fresh. Scenes were added and deleted according to playwright and director tastes.
Over time there developed a marketplace, which took place behind the main action, keeping the full cast involved for most of the show. In 2006, partly in response to declining ticket sales, as well as a desire for a fresher production, a new script was written by Royal Sproule (with excerts taken with permission from Murray Watts' "Miracle Maker"), and music was written by Bill Hamm, both of whom are quite prominent in the Rosebud Theatre community. The new script saw a move away from many of the crowd oriented scenes, and more significantly the crowd marketplace backdrop from which characters were drawn for certain scenes, as well as the established pre-show in favour of scenes more focused on individual relationships within the story. In recent years, a pre-show performance has begun to be re-established, and patrons have remarked on the role of the crowd members in the story. The crowd now functions almost as an individual character due to choreographed movement at different moments in the show.
The new script gave a new approach to the story. The idea was to bring in artistic theatrical techniques in order to make it powerful and entertaining, while remaining true to the story. Allusions were made to Shakespeare’s Henry V
Henry V (play)
Henry V is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to be written in approximately 1599. Its full titles are The Cronicle History of Henry the Fifth and The Life of Henry the Fifth...
, most significantly, the opening speech by delivered by Matthew, which is derived largely from the Chorus' introduction. Several surrealistic and symbolic theatre techniques were employed. The script also made more nods to the humanity of the characters, particularly the disciples and female followers, and made greater use of their relationships and interactions with one another.
2011 will debut a new script that will focus on retelling the life of Christ through the eyes of the John the apostle, playwright Royal Sproule has written.
By working with the original Biblical text, Sproule uses what he hesitantly calls “pageantry” to pull the audience in, yet warns that, while Matthew was an easy story to digest, John doesn’t pull any punches.
Narrator
The new 2006 script also included the use of a NarratorNarrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
, through the vehicle of Matthew the Evangelist
Matthew the Evangelist
Matthew the Evangelist was, according to the Bible, one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the four Evangelists.-Identity:...
, disciple and traditional writer of one of the gospel accounts(The Gospel according to Matthew). This gave the story a personal touch, allowing the audience to see what the situation may have been like through the eyes of one of his followers. The narrator character also allows scenes to move between times and locales with greater ease, and helping the audience to understand these leaps with greater fluidity.
The most recent edition of the script gives portions of the narration to the character of Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
, giving the perspective of one of Jesus’ most dedicated female followers, a story not often heard.
Stage
The Passion Play stage is placed within a natural bowl amphitheatre in the hills of the Badlands. The space encompasses 2700 seats, as well as a 300-seat choirChoir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
loft, although the recent addition of a musicians' platform has decreased this number slightly. The stage itself has undergone massive upgrades over the years. It currently holds a large set building that serves both as a backstage and as a prop storage during the off-season. A large cement paddock is at the front of the building marking areas known as the “temple
Temple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
” and the “marketplace”. A large stone threshing floor
Threshing floor
A threshing floor is a specially flattened surface, usually circular and paved, where a farmer would thresh the grain harvest and then winnow it, before the advent of threshing machines from the nineteenth century onwards. The threshing floor was either owned by the entire village or by a single...
, clay oven, and a grinding wheel
Grinding wheel
A grinding wheel is an expendable wheel that is composed of an abrasive compound used for various grinding and abrasive machining operations...
lie adjacent to the building. Some aspects of the stage were used during the 11-year run of the old script, before the 2006 change, largely as part of the marketplace backdrop. After the script change was made and the marketplace was no longer used as such, staging no longer required some of these stage areas, and they become largely a part of the atmosphere of the play, rather than a part of the show directly. The front of the stage is marked by a large wooden dock, representing the coast of Lake Gennesaret (or the Sea of Galilee
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
) and other bodies of water. Carved into one hill are stairs leading up to “Calvary”, and at its base lie tombs which are used at various points in the production. The entire area is used in the production, including the surrounding hillside.
The Summer Theatre Project
The Summer Theatre Project was an initiative started in 2003 to extend the Passion Play site as a summer long cultural attraction. The project included several shows, including family and contemporary shows, and one man scripture based shows. Of these, two are presently performed regularly. Proposals have been made to extend this idea and make the Passion Play a hub for scripture based plays.The Creation Question Paradox
The Passion Play takes place in Drumheller, Alberta, a place best known as the world’s biggest dinosaurDinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
cemetery. Hundreds of fossils have been found in the hills surrounding the Drumheller region, and many are uncovered on a regular basis. Amidst this backdrop of evolutionary processes frozen in action, Drumheller is home to a fervent community of Evangelical
Evangelicalism
Evangelicalism is a Protestant Christian movement which began in Great Britain in the 1730s and gained popularity in the United States during the series of Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th century.Its key commitments are:...
and devout Christians, many of whom are vocal proponents of seven day creationism
Creationism
Creationism is the religious beliefthat humanity, life, the Earth, and the universe are the creation of a supernatural being, most often referring to the Abrahamic god. As science developed from the 18th century onwards, various views developed which aimed to reconcile science with the Genesis...
. In the hills can be found a colossal statue of Jesus, and the town is home to dozens of churches and other religious centers. It is also the site of a biker church rally. Recently a Christian rock festival has been organized on the passion play site. This apparent clash has even become the topic for 2005 Canadian Broadcasting Company Documentary "The Cross and Bones".
Planned Advancements
Several upgrades are planned for the show and the production site. The remaining phases of the Jerusalem Wall Project (the first of which was completed in 2001), will see the renovation of the current phase, as well as an extension from the current wall to the set building allowing for transport of props, actors, and storage materials. Further improvements to an animal holding area used during the production run were completed to accommodate the live animals used in the show. Renovations to office spaces to increase efficiency and staff comfort. A Roman Road campaign has been launched, and will see the paving of a period style road designed for the ease of visitors, and actors during the show.Seating was expanded and in 2010 the website featured for the first time an online ticketing system where patrons can even choose the seat they’d like if booked early.
Improvements and repairs were made to the set and set buildings as well.
Im 2011 the implementation of a $100,000 three dimensional surround sound system to enhance the audiences’ audio experiences and accommodate those with difficulty hearing.
See also
- OberammergauOberammergauOberammergau is a municipality in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany. The town is famous for its production of a Passion Play, its woodcarvers, and the NATO School.-Passion Play:...
- Crucifixion of JesusCrucifixion of JesusThe crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...
- Resurrection of JesusResurrection of JesusThe Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus states that Jesus returned to bodily life on the third day following his death by crucifixion. It is a key element of Christian faith and theology and part of the Nicene Creed: "On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures"...
- Dramatic portrayals of Jesus
- GospelGospelA gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
- Matthew the EvangelistMatthew the EvangelistMatthew the Evangelist was, according to the Bible, one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the four Evangelists.-Identity:...
- John the EvangelistJohn the EvangelistSaint John the Evangelist is the conventional name for the author of the Gospel of John...