The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-02-25
PASSION PLAY
IS NONDERF Ill
Miss Eta Powers Delivers In
teresting Lecture on Produc-
tiOn at 0berammergau.
PEASANT ACTORS ARE
MARVEL0USLY NATURAL
Performers Are Selected i'm
Childhood and Carefully
Trained for Parts.

Though the presentation OF tue
"Passion Play at Oberammergau last
wear, the performance being given
once every ten years, occasioned nu-
merous articles in the magazines or the
United States and other countries to
the effect that the wonderful miracle
play is developing into merely com
merciaI enterprise, Miss Eta Powers,
principal of the Sumner school IN this
city, who saw the performance last
wear, emphasized the fact, in her Illus
trated lecture on the subject at the
First Methodist Episcopal church last
night, that such is not the case. Any
one who sees the play, said Miss Pow
ers, and who visits among the people
ammergau, can not but realize that
these people. who give the production,
are not actuated by any hope or desire
for financial gain, but that their whole
lives are wrapped up III their one ann
bition-to fit themselves for participa
tion as leading characters IN the play
Miss Powers s lecture, given under
the auspices of the Salt Lake City
chapter of the American Woman S
league, was largely attended and was
in every way successful The lecture
WIS illustrated with stereopticon views
of the play itself and of the village of
Oberammergau and surrounding coun
try, and Miss Powers condensed IN her
address all that IS salient in the @ Pas
sion Play itself, and in its history
and its meaning.
Origin of Play.
The "Passion Play of Oberam-
mergau, Miss Powers said, had its orr
gin and was first presented in 1888
in the village Of Oberammergau, in the
Bavarian highlands, which now has
about 1000 inhabitants. II was given
in celebration of the cessation of
plague which desolated the surrounding
country, the villagers having vowed
to perform the - Passion of Our Sav-
ior' every tenth year out of graft.
tude- Only once since the time of its
first performance has the play been
omitted at the appointed tenth year,
and that was when all such mystery
following general ecclesiastical up
rising. The passion Play was
somewhat revised, however, and the
pleadings of the peasants of Obersm.
mergau were finally effective and the
play was resumed,
Upon witnessing this wonderful
presentation of the Passion of the
scarcely realize that it is a play at all.
There is nothing in common in the
production with the drama as it is gen
orally understood in America. The peo-
pie who take part in the play-and
majority of the inhabitants Of the vii
lage do-are selected for their parts
by committee of forty-five Villagers,
with the priest of the village as chair
man. The players are selected accord
ing to their natural characteristics,
facial appearance and general de.
meanor attributive to the characters
they are to represent
ALI Is Natural
Ono makeup of any description is
tolerated. There must be no acting
it must all be natural. Even the voice
must be as ordinarily used. There is
no scenery, except the natural scenery
of the location of the play. The cos
TUNES are not as the average theatrical
costume, for they are manufactured Of
the best material available, and the
principal marts of the world are visited
and called upon TO furnish just the re-
CURED goods of first quality for the
making of the costumes used
1.-The play is given every other day,
as rule, during the entire summer
season of every tenth year The al
ternate day Is spent by the actors and
actresses in following their regular vo
cations which are, as n rule, the same
as those portrayed in the play. Moth
ing except binding snowstorms or hail
storms. which would prevent the audi
ence from seeing the play. prevents its
presentation. Such DELAYS sometimes
happen, however, for up in the high
lands the days are cold, even in sum
mer, and storms are not infrequent The
play lasts from 'cock in the morn
ing until O'Clock at night. with two
hours internnssion for lunch. During
this antermission the hundreds of tour
ts- t-lctf H.. IL
actors and actresses and by the other
villagers There is only one hotel in
Obera mmergau, which is sixty miles
from Munich, but the peasants extend
the hospitality of their homes to the
visitors
"The play is given in three divisions.
There are seventeen acts in all. and
IN themselves wonderful examples Of
posing and expression. There are 500
characters in the first scene, chorus
OF forty-two voices, but despite the
numbers participating in the perform
ance, every little detail Of the produc-
tlon is given attention, and the whole
is a most inspiring and impressive
sight
Is Intensely Dramatic.
s. Each scene is preceded by a pro.
logue.. which serves to give an outline
of what is to follow. One of the most
dramatic scenes of the play is natur-
ally that of the crucifixion None of
the tragedy is left out Anton Lang.
who played the part of Christus last
YEAR and also in 1900, and who hopes
10 present it again in 1920. is ON the
twenty.four foot cross for twenty min.
ules at each performance. and he is
often on the verge of collapse when
taken down He is apparently really
"jt is estimated that 250.0nO tour
Isl ISIS saw the Passion Play last wear.
The charge is nominal, however. and
the expense of giving the perform
aneo IS great, and as the event comes
2 put once. an ten years, it can readily
be imagined that no great financial
benefits accrue. The proceeds arc
divided into three divisions. One.third
goes TO pay those taking part, one.
third Is given over to the village GOV
crnment for general improvements
ana Inc remaining third to charity.
The indifference of the perform.
t.ln