Oberammergau 2022 Passion Play (Passionsspiele)

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You’re probably wondering what the big deal is about Oberammergau 2022. Why are people so excited? 

Every 10 years, the residents of Oberammergau in southern Germany perform a reenactment of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. This incredibly popular event is known as the Oberammergau Passion Play, and tickets tend to sell fast.

Check out this blog post I wrote about my experience at the Oberammergau Passion Play 2022 (specifically the premiere!). I’ll give you all the details so that you can decide if it’s something you want to see for yourself. Plus, we’ll give you a few tips on what to do while you’re in town. Otherwise, the next performance isn’t until 2030!

Passionsspiele Oberammergau provided me with two (2) tickets to the premiere performance of the Oberammergau Passion Play 2022, as well as other press-related items. All opinions are my own.

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Is Oberammergau Passion Play still on for 2022?

It’s the question on everyone’s mind: is the Oberammergau Passion Play still on for 2022? The answer, thankfully, is yes!

The world-famous Oberammergau Passion Play, which chronicles the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, will go on as planned, despite the challenges of the preceding years. The play was originally scheduled to take place in 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was postponed to 2022. Despite the delay, the show has begun, and there is still time for you to attend!

The play is an important part of the cultural heritage of Oberammergau, and its continued performance is a testament to the strength and resilience of the townspeople.

So if you’re planning a trip to the quaint Bavarian village of Oberammergau in 2022, be sure to add the Passion Play to your itinerary. You won’t be disappointed!

Premiere of Oberammergau Passion Play 2022

I was fortunate to attend the premiere performance of the Passion Play on Saturday, May 14, 2022! (I’ve now seen it three times: 1990, 2000, and the 2022 premiere!)

After years of planning and preparation, including the preceding week of dress rehearsals with paid attendees, the time had finally come for the postponed 2020 Play Year to begin!

Ecumenical Opening Service

The morning began at 11:00 a.m. in the heart of Oberammergau, at the Passion Play Theatre, with an ecumenical opening service, officiated by the Archbishop of Munich and Freising Reinhard Cardinal Marx and Bishop Heinrich Bedford-Strohm.

Between the readings, sermons, and prayers, a choir and brass ensemble provided a little taste of the amazing music that we would experience later in the Passion Play performance. Although everything was in German (except for one pastor who spoke some English), various components were still recognizable, such as:

• singing the hymn “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty”
• reciting the Apostle’s Creed
• reciting the Lord’s Prayer

The director, Christian Stückl, voiced thanks to a number of people on stage, many of whom seemed to be the patriarchs of Oberammergau. (I missed my chance at a photo with Herr Stückl, when I walked past him just minutes before the opening service began!)

The retractable roof was covering the stage of the Passionstheater Oberammergau during the opening service. During the performance a few hours later, however, the roof had been moved, and the stage was uncovered to create more of an open-air theater.

Premiere Performance

After a lunch break, the first part of the Passion Play began at 2:30 p.m. and went until 5:00 p.m. Although the entire performance is presented in German, if you are familiar with the Biblical account, you will be able to follow along. For those who would like to understand the dialogue more precisely, “textbooks” are available in English for 6 EUR.

The New Testament-based dialogue of Passion Play 2022 is interspersed with Old Testament-based tableaux vivants (“living images”), which I really appreciate, as the Old Testament points forward to the New Testament. As such, we first see Adam & Eve being banished from the Garden of Eden, followed by Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of Passion Week. Part One ends with Judas’ betrayal of Jesus and the arrest of Jesus.

The choir and orchestra are also integral parts of the presentation, and you will want to purchase the music to enjoy it for years to come.

The second part of the Passion Play began at 8:00 p.m. and went until around 10:45 p.m. (although the estimated end time was 10:30 p.m.).

Part Two begins with a living image of Daniel in the Lion’s Den, followed by the high priest interrogating Jesus. It continues on through a reenactment of the crucifixion of Christ Jesus and then speaks of His resurrection, although we are not shown the resurrected Jesus.

The ovation at the end lasted several minutes (one of the longest ovations I’ve ever been a part of), but you will not see the cast again. When the performance is finished, they exit, and the lights come up.

A few thoughts about the Passion Play 2022:

• A bit of artistic freedom is taken in the case of Judas Iscariot. There are parts of his story line that are not in the Bible.

• Pilate’s look and costume are sooooo different than that of all the other characters. In a way, he reminds me of General Hux from the Star Wars franchise.

• The angel seems fairly disinterested in what’s going on. He is visible during the Last Supper scene, and has a line toward the end of the scene, but most of the time I was just wondering who he was and why he was just sitting outside of the scene. He is also just “meh” in the final scene of the empty tomb, not like the dazzling, imposing beings the Bible describes.

• Thankfully, the script acknowledges Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, but as mentioned above, the resurrected Jesus does not appear at the end of Passion Play 2022.

Final Thought on the Premiere: The Oberammergau Passion Play is an amazing event to experience, whether it’s your first time or my more-than-once-in-a- lifetime experience. The preparation, dedication, and craft are something to behold. The actors, singers, and orchestra are all fantastic, and they’re not hired professionals. They all hail from this small town in the Bavarian alps. They are the people of Oberammergau!

Oberammergau 2022 Dates

Here are the dates you need to know!

The Passion Play is set to take place from May 14 through October 2, 2022, for a total of 103 performances!

Performances are on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, each week. There are actually 2 performances on Mondays as well (June 6 and August 15). I found out that the Monday performances are on holidays: Whit Monday and Assumption Day, respectively.

Oberammergau 2022 Passion Play Tickets

Individual tickets can be purchased for any given performance. There are six (6) different ticket category price points, ranging from a base price of 30 EUR to 180 EUR.

Whether you purchase the most expensive ticket or buy from the cheapest category, the experience really is priceless! You will be part of the long history of the Bavarian town of Oberammergau and the play of the suffering of Jesus. Read my Oberammergau Passion Play article to find out more about purchasing individual tickets.

Oberammergau Passion Play 2022 Packages

The Passion Play organizers call these “arrangements.” The arrangements include tickets in your chosen category, corresponding hotel stays, and some meals. Find additional information about purchasing arrangements at my Oberammergau Passion Play post.

How long does the Oberammergau Passion Play last?

The play is performed over a period of five (5) hours, with a 3-hour dinner break intermission.

Depending on when you attend, the timing looks like this:

May 14 through August 14:

• Part I: 2:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Dinner Break: 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
• Part II: 8:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

August 15 through October 2:

• Part I: 1:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
• Dinner Break: 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
• Part II: 7:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

If you want some free time to explore the charming city, old town, and surrounding area, make sure to get going early, as your entire afternoon and evening will be spent enjoying the world-famous Passion Play.

Oberammergau Passion Play Dinner Break

You are encouraged to make a dinner reservation ahead of time for the 3-hour dinner break. Attendees that have booked package arrangements will have a specific place where they are to eat dinner. Everyone else is on their own.

Note that many of the restaurants in town only offer a special set-price meal during this time, which can be pricey, so plan accordingly.

There is an amazing bakery in town (Aurhammer Bakery), but their hours vary each day. Eiscafe Paradiso will satisfy your cravings for an ice cream cone (their cherry is fantastic!), as well as other food items, from morning to evening, most of the year.

There are also several grocery stores in town, including EDEKA, Netto, and Lidl.

Where to Stay for Oberammergau 2022 Passion Play

If you book Passion Play Oberammergau arrangements, your overnight stay will be taken care of. If you are just purchasing individual tickets, you will need to book lodging on your own. Booking on your own can be tricky, so book as early as possible.

When I attended the premiere on May 14, 2022, I stayed outside of Munich for a few nights leading up to the performance.

Then, I booked hotel accommodation in Oberammergau for two (2) nights. It seemed the perfect situation. That “non-smoking” hotel, however, smelled like cigarette smoke in every nook and cranny…lobby, hallways, room, everywhere. I had to leave after just one night there.

Thankfully, I found refuge at Klosterhotel Ettal Ludwig der Bayer, just a few miles away in the town of Ettal, for the second night. Of course, it was pricey, but lodging in a smoke-free environment was priceless.

When I attend again later in the 42nd Oberammergau Passion Play Year with my family, we will be staying in Munich, driving into Oberammergau the day of our scheduled performance, and driving back to Munich that night. It will be a long day and a late night, but that was the best option for us at that time.

Oberammergau Museum Special Exhibit

To mark Passion Play 2022, “a building and room installation” has been constructed at the Oberammergau Museum. Entitled “(Im)material: Fabric, Body, and Passion,” the installation is visible outside the museum, as well as inside.

Outside, the entire museum is covered by the blue-hued costumes worn by actors in the 2000 and 2010 Passion Play Years. Inside, much of the museum remains in its usual state. There are, however, a few changes and thematic additions, including long threads spun from actors’ hair collected at the end of previous Play Years (when they are able to finally cut their hair and shave their beards).

To further the continuity of the theme, each museum visitor is given a piece of the blue cloth as a souvenir.

A Bit of History of the Oberammergau Passion Play

When the first Passion Play was performed nearly 400 years ago, the villagers had made a promise to God that they would continue to perform the play as long as their town was spared from further black plague deaths. And so far, that promise has been kept. The play was postponed for two years (from 2020 to 2022) due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Passion Play is a recreation of the last days on Earth of Jesus Christ, starting with his entry into Jerusalem and ending with his crucifixion and resurrection, known as the Passion of Christ. It is a moving and powerful performance, and one that has been attracting visitors to Oberammergau for centuries.

It is a theatrical tradition that the villagers of Oberammergau take very seriously. For example, on Ash Wednesday in the year prior to the Play Year, the hair and beard decree goes into effect. All men involved in the Passion Play experience must let their hair and beards grow long, in preparation for their roles.

So, be part of history, and attend Passion Play Oberammergau 2022, with its beautiful scenery, imposing open-air stage, and amazing Oberammergau villagers. Hear and see the story of Jesus of Nazareth in a way you never have before!

Find Out More About Oberammergau

• Oberammergau Passion Play How to Plan the Best Itinerary
• History of the Passion Play in Oberammergau
• Things to Do in Oberammergau Germany

SBT Summary: Oberammergau Passion Play 2022

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