THE PASSION PLAY

Grey River Argus, 13 May 1932, Page 2

THE PASSION PLAY

OF OBERAMMERGAU. A most impressive pictu isation of the Passion Play was presented to a very large and attentive audience in • the Town Hall last evening. The pictures which are presented very vivid- ; ly, arc real photographs of the 1930 ; Play, and comprise eighty-three beautiful hand-p’aintea pictures which are j masterpieces of art. Eight pictures . introduce the play commencing with a j scene depicting a miracle play of the ; Thirteenth Century, while the final pictures are of scenes in the village of Oberammergau itself. The lecturer, the Bev. Mr Mead, is a fluent speak- ; er, with a clear, st-rong voice, enabling .everyone to hear his very able! description of ,the pictures and history ! of the play. The world-famous play was first produced in the year 1634, as a result of a sacred vow made between the vil-

lagers and God. If God would lift the plague which fell upo n them after the Thirty Year’s War, the villagers pledged .themselves to perform the scenes of the Passion and Crucifixion of the Saviour of Mankind once in every ten years as long as they rema ned a village, and they hav e ever since then kept their vow. though with many difficulties. The lecturer during the evening, explained how any profits are used .to defray expenses and then for charitable purposes. The actors, all of Oberammergau, are trained from childhood to take their part in the great Play and their chief ambition is to fill major parts which are decided by a ballot, as .there are no fewer than 700 players required. The play is produced every day during the season from 8 o’clock in the morning until 6 p.m.. and the pale and thin cheeks of the performers at the end of th,e season, bear witness to the sacrifices which they hav e undergone. At the last presentation in 1930 permission was given to a firm to take photographs, and rights were given to British and American interests to p.oduce th e play in a series of pictures, .the Oberammergau community receiving a royalty from each

show’ng, and that * s h°w it is produced in New Zealand. No slide broken can b e replaced, and they have to be handed back in 1934 to be destroyed. Prior to the first act some magnificent pictures of the principal players were screened, the lecturer giving a b’ief account of the history of each, and the various roles they performed. The acts closely follow,ed the story of th e Gospels, with which almost everybody is fani’liar. | The whole presentation was given in all reverenqe. and coull not ofI fcr offence to any person, no matter what creed. The presentation without doubt left a profound impression on the audience —an impression that, will in many eases never be erased and it should be the aim of every Christian to see these won. THIS AFTERNOON’S PRESENTATION. This, afternoon the final Greymouth showing will b,e given at the Town Hall, where .the spectators will see the play beg n when the great bell in the Cathedral calls .the people together and promptly at 8 o ’scloek a.m. with the booming of a eanuon the curtain rises. The play continues through a lino series of choruses, tableaux, and acts until 12 o ’clock when an intermission of one hour anj forty minutes is taken for lunch. During this hour it is interesting to see this little village of about 1700 inhabitants trans, formed into a crowded company of about six or seven thousand. At one forty-five, .the cannon again booms and the curtain rises for the afternoon j programme. The seats are only hard ' boards, but the great crowd of about ‘ 6000 look on the players with rapt at.tention quite unmindful of the passing moments. The tension grows with tbe i successive acts to the end of the day. At six o’clock in th e evening the closing scenes come with the “Ascension’’ and the grea.t day of the representation of that stupendous tragedy of the Cross 's at an end.