(Lictors bring the
thieves: Nsiki Zunga, Clifford Wardle (thief), Mike Lohr (thief), Novien Pillay.
Pic by Andrew Buchanan)
The Durban Catholic Players’ Guild will present the 14th
Durban Passion Play – the “Oberammergau of Africa” - at the Playhouse Drama
Theatre from April 1 to 19, 2015.
The Passion Play
strives to restore the true meaning of Easter. It is an epic scale dramatic
production depicting Jesus' passion, covering the final period of his life from
his visit to Jerusalem to his execution by crucifixion. It is performed by a
large cast who volunteer their time and skills as part of their Lenten
preparations. The play involves seven months of commitment from a 150-plus cast
who receive no remuneration.
The cast comprises an inter-denominational group of diverse
people who vary in age from toddlers and teenagers to young adults and the more
mature.
The play is directed by Dawn Haynes and Tanya Conradie: “We
have many families participating and it is wonderful to see grandparents, children
and grandchildren all involved together,” says Dawn. ”This year we also have
special needs people in our cast. These families are truly a shining example of
a family that prays together and they are an inspiration to us all.”
The first Passion Play in Durban was performed in 1952, when
the mayor and community of Oberammergau in Bavaria granted special permission
to the Durban Catholic Players’ Guild to stage an abridged version of their
world famous Passion Play. What was first enacted in 1634 in Oberammergau was
used in Durban as a means of celebrating the centenary of the arrival of the
missionary Oblate priests of Mary Immaculate, who arrived in South Africa in
1852.
That first play, enacted at the Greyville Racecourse, was so
successful that Durban’s Father Noel Coughlan travelled to Bavaria to gain
permission for the Durban version of the play to be staged every five years.
The Oberammergau village fathers willingly obliged, seeing the play as a means
of witnessing to the larger population of Southern Africa. Durban would become
the “Oberammergau of Africa”.
It has now been staged in Durban every five years for the
past 63 years. The Durban Passion Play was staged at the Greyville Racecourse
for many years, before moving to the Durban City Hall until 1997. More recently
it has been performed at the Playhouse.
There will be 24 performances in the Playhouse Drama Theatre
running from April 1 to19. One of the highlights is a special performance for
the hearing impaired on April 12 at 14h30, where the performance will be
signed.
Public booking is at Computicket. Block bookings are
available for fund raising through Dawn Haynes at dmhaynes@webmail.co.za
A bus will be travelling to Durban for its passengers to
attend one of the performances – subject to availability – on request. If
anyone travelling from a distance requires information regarding bus hire or
accommodation, contact Robert Haynes on 071 382 5845 or email: haynesrobert33@gmail.com or Dominic
Sandiah on 082 460 7677 or email: Sandiah@telkomsa.net
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