Every year Passion Plays tell the story of Easter and draw the largest outdoor audiences of live theatre in the UK. They give people an opportunity to experience the Gospel story unhampered by centuries of religious traditions, but they are more than one-off performances. Every year Passion Plays are the focus of sustained work that equips and invests in local communities across the UK and promotes understanding between Christianity and the other principal faith traditions.

Passion Plays contribute to significant change and transformation for not only individuals but also wider social structures and we are keen to harness and replicate their beneficial impact. With the help of a generous grant from the M.B. Reckitt Trust we developed a case study research project to measure the impact of professional partnerships and community volunteers with the aim of developing online resources and running training events for wider dissemination.

Our research focussed on the insights of volunteer-led communities created by a common endeavour in which people share knowledge, skills and experience, and on the potential of arts communities to tell the Easter story in a way that promotes religious literacy in a multifaith world.

Download the report here