What happens when you take part in a Passion Play?

This year thousands of people saw the Easter story performed free of charge in city centres across the UK, bringing the largest audiences of open-air theatre in the UK. And the best thing is that they are far more than a one-off performance!

Passion Plays are vibrant projects that allow people to get involved in telling the Easter story for themselves! They create new creative communities and connect existing groups from across the local community. Rooted in local communities, Passion Plays draw on past achievements and past challenges as they tell the Easter story in uniquely meaningful performances.

Great British actor Michael Sheen saw a Passion Play as a child and never forgot it. As a famous actor, he returned to his struggling hometown in Wales in 2011 and put on a Passion Play in which the whole town could take part. It had a massive impact on everyone in Port Talbot and on Michael Sheen himself: ‘The Passion took over the streets of my hometown and I haven’t been the same since.’

This year over 500 arts professionals and volunteers dedicated upwards of 34,000 hours to perform a Passion Play in their local community. Many of them also gave of their time and expertise to build skills and confidence in people who were feeling isolated or struggling to connect with people in their community.

Both professionals and volunteers speak of having experienced a deep and lasting impact that taking part in a Passion Play can bring.

What did this people say about being involved in Passion Plays this year?

An incredible, unforgettable experience! Adrian 

Thank you for creating this wonderful opportunity for the powerful message of the cross to be proclaimed on the streets of Hereford. It has been such a joy to join the Community Cast on Tuesday evenings and to experience the wonderful unity of God’s people. I believe we will continue to see fruit from this event for a long time yet… David and Marie

A truly unique and deeply moving event that I felt privileged to be part of. Sarah

I just want to thank you for letting me be in the Passion Play. It was awesome beautiful. And when We got to the scene of the cross, I really felt it was happening & I cried with real tears. It was truly a beautiful & emotional moment. & I loved  every bit of it.  Sue

The passion play was such an amazing event to be part of. It’s definitely made the Easter story easier to understand, and more of it makes sense than it did. The events around Easter are definitely more real for me now than they were, now that I have seen it acted out. John

I found the whole experience exciting, emotional and spiritually uplifting and compelling – it’s created a wonderful memory of working with a great group of people and a great enterprise that will endure for a long time. Jessica

I would just like to thank you for that amazing event – an inspired vision combined with the support of so many churches and other people and so much hard work from you. It was the most incredible feeling to be a small part of the whole experience. Thank you so much. Lisa

The silence of the audience was mesmerising. Simon

What can a Passion Play bring to a community?

There are a host of benefits and Passion Plays are so much more than a performance – they are a community project which run through a long rehearsal period and involve hundreds of people as actors, musicians, costume makers, stewards, ushers, event planners, photographers, sound engineers, script-writers, just to name a few. All talk afterwards about the many ways Passion Plays bring value to them personally and to the community, such as:

1. Bringing the true story of Easter to life.
2. Churches unite and grow.
3. Christians are strengthened in faith.
4. People of all faiths or none explore the Christian faith through shared experience.
5. Volunteers get to work with professional actors.
6. Marginalised people feel welcome and connect with others
7. People who are unemployed get to learn new employable skills.
8. People with special needs find a special place and a new community.

How can I get involved in a Passion Play?

First of all check to see whether there is a Passion Play happening in your town or city. You can contact the Passion trust via email or you can look at our interactive map here.

Secondly, if there is no Passion Play in your area, you might be someone with a vision to get one started. The Passion Trust is here to help connect you with the right people who can work with you and make your vision a reality!

Thirdly, if you cannot get involved in a Passion Play but would like to donate a gift you can be sure 100% of any donation goes directly to the Passion Play of your choice. The Passion Trust covers all administrative costs!