One of the most popular passion plays, the Oberammergau, has been performed since 1634 in the village of Oberammergau, Bavaria. The elaborate production, which features much more than the trial and passion reenactments, runs over five hours. It includes text, …

Passion Plays and Oratorios, ‘Christ Killers,’ and the Magic Trick of ‘Deus Ex Machina’ Read more »

1 / 1 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Brig. Gen. John Hort, deputy chief of staff, operations, for U.S. Army Europe, addresses more than 250 military personnel from 35 different nations in attendance for the Combined Training Conference in …

U.S. Army Europe, NATO Allied Land Command co-host Combined Training Conference Read more »

Jesus reads his lines on his daily commute from Laois to Dublin. Mary Magdalene’s day job is organising the National Ploughing Championships. And every second male in Ballylinan is sporting a bushy beard. It’s all part of the preparations for …

Jesus, Judas and even the donkey are rehearsing for Ballylinan’s passion play Read more »

In 1985 Filipino carpenter Ruben Enaje fell three storeys and remarkably, survived. To give thanks for this good fortune, he has, for the past 30 Good Fridays, dressed up as Jesus and allowed actors portraying Roman soldiers to nail his …

Good Friday essay: Passion plays and the ethics of spectacular violence Read more »