The 39th annual Lake County Outdoor Passion Play is coming soon to Upper Lake

UPPER LAKE — The Lake County Outdoor Passion Play, one of the largest of such events in the country, will stage its 39th consecutive presentation on May 18 and 19.

The drama involves about 150 performers portraying the last days of Christ’s life on earth on a massive 85-acre outdoor setting on the shores of Clear Lake, the largest natural lake in California.  The site is about a two-hour drive from the East Bay.

Rev. Philip J. Ryan (RIP) and his then fellow priest, Paul Moran, started the play on what was, in 1981, a private ranch owned by the Beltramo family.  The Lake County Passion Play formally incorporated in 1990. A few years after the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Red Beltramo in the late 1990s, the 85 acre ranch was purchased by the organization.  All cast and crew members are volunteers as are the Lake County Passion Play Board of Directors.

“This year’s performance will be offerred not only as a witness of the cast and crew’s faith in Him crucified, but also out of remembrance for all our loved ones who have past—especially our late producer, Fr. Philip J. Ryan whose death was in December 2017,” said Rob Haun who has been the Director of the Play for over 10 years.  As Fr. Ryan has said in the past, “The ground level, where the audience sits, is the perfect setting. It is all flat, so people can see.” The performances take place on various stages and hillsides accompanied by an

Article source: http://www.record-bee.com/lake-county-outdoor-passion-play