At Fresno State, a passionate play about religion and government

In America, religion and government are ostensibly separated, though the subject remains contentious to this day. Even with that caveat, sometimes we forget just how remarkable the separation of church and state is when compared to other cultures – and to history.

Such are the ruminations you’ll likely have watching Sarah Ruhl’s provocative 2003 “Passion Play: Part 1 2,” which opens Friday at Fresno State.

It certainly speaks to director Ruth Griffin, who was drawn to the play’s provocative and darkly humorous premise of setting a “passion play” – the centuries-old custom of re-creating Christ’s last week before crucifixion – in the wildly disparate eras of Elizabethan England and Nazi Germany.

“More than any other play I’ve done I feel it is of serious import for our country now,” she says.

We caught up with her via email to talk about the production.

Q: What is the performance history?

A: “Passion Play” premiered at the Washington Arena Stage in 2005 and was then produced by the Goodman Theatre and Yale Repertory Theatre. It made its New York debut in 2010 with the Epic Theatre Ensemble. In 2008 it was heralded by the New Yorker as one of the 10 best plays of the year.

Q: How is it structured?

A: “Passion I” takes place in 1575 in England during the reign of Elizabeth I. It has an episodic structure. Poems and moments drift like in a dream. “Passion II” takes place in 1934 in Oberammergau, Germany, at the 300-hundred-year

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