Feedback from our Muslim friends include the stories below and we would love to hear from you if you have watched a Passion Play and have feedback for us!
A Muslim man watching the Edinburgh Passion Play recalls the experience as it took place during Ramadan in 2024:
I so enjoyed the play yesterday. Actually got a bit emotional watching it – the Jesus narrative in general (outside of the play) is so moving, and I’m thankful Easter took place in Ramadan. It made it all the more special to attend. The best part was feeling like you were actually there, in the crowds of 1st century Palestine, listening to the different conversations unfolding in the marketplace and then seeing Jesus show up and speak to a lowly vendor, or have a heated dialectic with a centurion.
The play site itself elegantly moved to different parts of Princes Street Gardens (marketplace, last supper, crucifixion), and the crowd moved along with it. There were some interactive elements that were quite innovative: when Jesus fed the 5,000, the disciples actually walked through the crowd with the baskets of left-over bread, thereby directly bringing us into the narrative itself. (I saved my piece for iftar!)
For me the most memorable moment was when Jesus was brought before Pilate, and half the actors were screaming ‘he’s innocent!’ and the other half ‘crucify him!’. At that point, a couple of staff who seem to have been planted in the audience screamed out ‘crucify him!’. I thought that was just a brilliant touch – why should we assume we would have been on the right side of history had we lived then? It got me thinking about EP Thompson’s warning about “the enormous condescension of posterity”.
Also, maybe I’ve just been too exposed to the narrative via television and film, but it also felt refreshing to watch it – not simply in-person as theatre – but at a distance. The audio sound was excellent, so there was no problem following the dialogues, but we were all watching from afar, and it almost felt ‘right’. I think TV has spoiled us for close-ups, and they’re actually quite artificial. Most of what we see in real-life is from a distance, and it felt more genuine and even authentic witnessing Jesus from afar.
By and large it was a really moving, powerful play, and so wonderfully performed. Honestly, it made my Ramadan. And the crowd was friendly and families were sprawled out along the grass, with their lunches out and coffees in hand. And the weather was to die for – I don’t know how big their budget was, but it became overcast during the Crucifixion and the sun came out, in full bloom, at the Resurrection!
Members of the Birmingham Passion Play reflected on their first performance in Birmingham with its multicultural demographic and large Muslim population:
It was always a concern in Birmingham that it could really ruffle some feathers, because you are literally out in the street kind of shouting about Jesus. You’ve got the crucifixion, which is a very provocative, even just the image of it for people just seeing three men on crosses. It creates a reaction in people, but any negative response we had has not been from other faiths at all!
In the bullring, the central square near the shopping centre, there were lots of stalls and things going around there. And we obviously start with this kind of flash mob thing and music and drumming, like you can’t really ignore it. And there was a stall run by Muslims, and they were giving out Qurans, and talking about their faith with people.
We went and spoke to them and we said, It’s because of Easter, we’re talking about Jesus, about the Gospels, and we’re gonna be making a lot of noise for about twenty minutes, and then we’ll go. And they were so encouraging and positive about it and wanted to hear about why we were doing it, and what the motivation was, and who was involved. They actually turned off their music so that we could have the whole sound, which was amazing.
They were aware of the importance of ‘entering into dialogue’ and ‘presenting a story that people can respond to in whatever way feels authentic to them.’ This also included Muslims who wanted to be part of the community cast:
We had somebody in our community cast that year who was Muslim as well and he was just interested in telling the story and thinking about it from my perspective. I would be really interested to see a story from another faith performed in the same way, because I think it makes it accessible, and it makes it interesting to watch. So it’s always been really positive…I remember talking to him, saying, ‘Look, if you feel uncomfortable in shouting anything you don’t have to but just, you know, be part of it.’ Well, in fact, I was I was standing at the end and he was the one that came up and almost gave me a hug and said, ‘I can’t thank you enough for including me, and I now really understand the Christian story more than I’ve ever done before.’
