The 2011 Canadian Badlands Passion Play is different from anything the society has previously produced. “This version of the Fourth Gospel is unique in several ways,” says Barrett Hileman, co-director of the play along with playwright Royal Sproule. “The first is story content. The Fourth Gospel shares a number of episodes in Jesus' life (e.g. Lazarus, Jesus washing the Disciples’ feet) that do not appear in the synoptic gospels. Those audience members who have seen the play in the past five years will enjoy these new additions.
“Secondly, this year our narrator (The Old Man played by Brian Jensen) serves as a storyteller. Jesus is the primary driving force in the story, and we follow his journey through the play. This is in contrast to our last script, which focused on our narrator Matthew’s story, and Jesus’ life and ministry as it impacted Matthew specifically.“Finally, the style of the telling has been more closely modelled on the way the Fourth Gospel is written. We are using metaphors and imagery rather than gritty naturalism. This serves the large playing space we use to tell our story and reflects more on the Fourth Gospel’s use of poetry, image, and philosophy.”
For returning Jesus actor Stephen Waldschmidt, this year is his most challenging role as Jesus. “Unlike previous versions of the Badlands Passion Play, this Jesus is portrayed as a man so totally connected with his creator that everything he does and says arises from what he hears and sees his Father saying and doing. Acting that kind of life for a few hours on stage is relatively simple. Living that out in real life is a journey that will take me the rest of my life.”
“This year feels different,” explains Waldschmidt. “Jesus in the gospel of John is akin to being a ‘divine alien’ invading earth. It feels more epic to me. Jesus is the God-man who has come to reveal the truth about reality - which includes revealing how much of a mess was made by the religious establishment which was supposed to represent his Father.
“I believe this version of the Badlands Passion Play is one that audiences will love. The play delivers a new level of audio sophistication through our new sound system and magical musical score created and produced by Luke Ertman. The music and singing enhances the acting and brings out the emotion that makes you want to experience the play again and again.”
The 2011 Canadian Badlands Passion Play will be staged July 15 to 24. Shows starting at 6:00 p.m. include the dates Friday, July 15, Saturday, July 16, Thursday, July 21, and Friday, July 22. The 3:00 p.m. matinee shows run Saturday, July 17, Saturday, July 23, and Sunday, July 24.
