“The Canadian Badlands passion play is a dramatic presentation depicting the Life of Jesus Christ including his ministry, trial, suffering, death and resurrection.
In the 1960s the Honourable Gordon Taylor, Minister of Highways for Alberta and a local MLA helped found a local society to produce a Passion Play in Drumheller. However, due to a number of factors the project never started.
In 1988, LaVerne Erickson, founder of Rosebud School of the Arts and Rosebud Theatre, formed a steering committee and gained the support of local community organizations to set the foundation for what would become The Canadian Badlands Passion Play.
In 1990, The Canadian Badlands Passion Play Society had its charter meeting. Mr. Gordon Taylor was made Honorary Chairman.
From 1990 through 1994 local community support and a growing volunteer base enabled the society to target the summer of 1994 as the date for its first production of The Canadian Badlands Passion Play.
Hundreds of volunteers, thousands of dollars and generous gifts of materials, government grants and the theatrical expertise of Rosebud School of the Arts all combined to make the first Canadian Badlands Passion Play.
The Canadian Badlands Passion Play obtained 30 acres of property on which its amphitheatre is located. It also jointly owns another 65 acres in conjunction with the Drumheller Valley Ski Hill.
In July 1994, The Canadian Badlands Passion Play made its debut. All 1150 seats were filled for its five performances. The original script and certain portions of lyrics and music were composed by Cathy Covert who also directed the play.
In 1995, seating for The Canadian Badlands Passion Play doubled. A choir loft for 300 was also built into the hillside behind the audience.
In 1996, the large staging area underwent numerous upgrades. A new script written by Randall Wiebe with music and lyrics by LaVerne Erickson was used for the next 11 years. To keep the play fresh, annual updates were made to the script and music. Roger Hamm directed the play for the next seven years.
In 1997, more seats were added and further enhancements were made to the main staging areas. Regional choirs rehearsed in Red Deer, Olds, Calgary, Lethbridge, Drumheller and Saskatoon. Musicians in other centres (Taber, Bow Island, Medicine Hat, Ponoka, and Moose Jaw) began working toward the creation of regional choirs.
In 1998, The Canadian Badlands Passion Play began its first winter choir concert series in Lethbridge, Calgary and Red Deer.
In 2001, the Jerusalem Wall was opened. The wall is similar in appearance to the wall of ancient Jerusalem, and it houses services such as first aid, washrooms, concessions and a gift shop.
In 2002, an Interpretive Centre was opened in the Jerusalem Wall to provide background information on the Passion Play’s roots and historic development. The centre features display and models explaining biblical history as well as the different aspects of mounting the Passion Play. Plans were created to someday house a large biblical mural in this space.
In 2003, a summer theatre program was initiated to produce smaller productions throughout the summer. This initiative lasted three years.
In 2006, the performance was updated with a new script by Royal Sproule and new music by Bill Hamm. Both Sproule and Hamm have considerable theatrical experience with Rosebud Theatre. Province-wide auditions were held to develop a broader base of acting talent. Musical instrumentation including timpani and trumpets were also added to the production.
The play features the inclusion of a narrator who helps to make the story more personal while helping the audience understand the leaps of locations and times.In 2007, further changes were made to the script and music to further enhance the performance.
The Passion Play begins in July, with performances on July 4, 5 and 11 at 6 p.m. and July 6, 12 and 13 at 2 p.m. Call (403) 823-2201 for more information.
