The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-01-22


 by a man of culture. learning and re- nown-a man who knows his subject and handles it with the utmost delicacy and beauty--wil not only be a rare op- portunity, but one that none can afford to miss
 MT. Henry Ellsworth traveller and lec- turer. who will present the Passion Play in Birmingham at the orpheum this week, is perhaps the best authority on Oberammergau and it's world famed play living today.
 He took up his residence in Oberammer- gau each summer for 12 years-making nearly four years in all-and he is per- sonally acquainted with every villager in the quaint little settlement in the valley of the Ammer, as well as all the inhabitants of the adjacent villages, in cluding Murnau, Unterammergau, Gar mish, I.inderhof and Graswung.
 Shortly after Mir. Ellsworth arrived here yesterday he chatted most interestingly of his work, how he happened to take it up. and with what encouragement he had met throughout the country.
 III ItlllN lO iiiE NuNSilOiAs Ai eiti@ NNS of commercialism, has that element en- tered the Passion Play productlon?"
 MT. Ellsworth replied: Most emphat- ically no! Although there have been re- ports to the contrary. I can easily prove my statement. In 1910 the gross receipts of the Passion Play proper amounted 10 $3s6.0OO The Passion Play refused 3 cash offer of S35O,Oo0 for the concession to take moving pictures, Now, for one extra performance to take moving pie lures. they could have realized within s36,OO0 of the gross receipts. Does that smack of commercialism? Then again. if the Passion Play were a commercial enterprise, why would they give it but one year each decade-why not every five years or every three years? l was personally present at a conference in Oberammergau in 1900 when an Ameri- can firm offered the villagers $500,0o0 and all expenses to come tos the United States and give a series of performances for 10 weeks. They replied that there never was enough money coined in the history of the world to cause us to give our Passion Play any place except in our own village of. Oherammergau.' No one will ever see the Oberammergau Pas sion Play at any locality except Ober- ammergau in 192O-or any other time.
 Another incident fof which l am thor oughly cognizant9 continued MT. Els worth, lis that in 1908 MT Samuel Vel Ter, now editor of the New York Re- view, then representing the American ae- tor. MT. Henry Miller, iourneyed to Ober- ammergau with the intention of securing the Oberammergan players to appear in Berlin, in German translation of the beautiful play The Servant in the House. The Passion Play committee, of which Sebastian Bauer, the burgomaster, l is the chairman, received MT. Weller very oourteously, but declined the offer with thanks"
 How is the selection of the villagers made in regard to the roles they as- sume in the Passion Play" l asked. "Is it an inheritance handed down from father to son?"
 No: the villagers are selected by a | Passion Play committee composed of ? Oberammergauers, said Mir. Ellsworth "By common vote. the villagers elect 1! members whom, with the, burgomastel and village priest, make the committed ] of q. who have full power to select al performers. and attend to everything per ] taining to the play including the entiri i east of 6S5 persons, the dates of thu 1 play price for tickets and every detail" During the Play in 19l0.' I asked "were there not more Americans thar ever before?"
 1 q witnessed" said MT, Ellsworth 60 l Of the 59 performances and the audiences many times were almost entirely Amer 1 ican. Especially was this true durins May. June and July. In August an( ] Septehiber the rersonnel of the audiences changed considerably. Then the peopl were mostly Englsh, German, French l Italian. Spanish, scotch and Irish. Ther were 92.000 Americans who saw the Pas | sion Play in 1910. nearly all of whom pait as much as s2.5o seat.''
 ''IIow and why did you happen t' take up the work of reproducing th' Passion Play in the form of stereopticol views?' I asked.
 'I was at the Paris exposition in 190 and hearing so iNch of the Oberammer | sau Passion Play and being iulresteS always in the sort of work I am doing. | said Mir Ellsworth. "T started for tn, Bavarian village immediatelv It was my intention to reach Omerammergal l Saturday, witness the play Sunday ans leave on the following Monday. Instea, of remaining three days. remained | weeks and witnessed 9 of the perform snces To me it was the most wonder ful thiug that I had ever witnessed am ..r.- .f