The Great Passion Play
The Great Passion PlayThe Great Passion Play
The Great Passion Play was produced by the Elna M. Smith Foundation and performed in Eureka Springs, Arkansas in September of 1998. The beautiful scenery of the Ozark Mountains was the setting for this outdoor production.
The play opens with an introduction of Jesus by scripture. "In the beginning was the word, and the word was made flesh to live among men." We, the audience, immediately see Jesus and his twelve disciples on the hillside outside of Jerusalem. Jesus is warning the twelve disciples of the persecution that are to come. The audience is able to see how the Sanhedrin Counsel, chief priest and elders of Jerusalem, want Jesus removed because of the following that Jesus has among the people and how they are conspiring against Jesus.
The overall structure of the play has several story lines. From Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem, his illegal arrest and trials, his death on the cross, and his resurrection and ascension into heaven.
The climax of the play occurs after Judas betrays Jesus. The soldiers and an angry group of people go to Jesus in the garden. They tell Jesus that they are looking for the man who claims to be the Son of God, the Messiah. At this point Jesus steps toward them and says, "I am he". The guards arrested Jesus and took him before the Sanhedrin Counsel.
The crisis of the play is when Jesus is crucified upon the cross. He dies an agonizing death and it is not until his death that many of the people believe that he was the Son of God.
The reversal took place and the play shifted when Jesus was raised from the dead in the tomb. He has now fulfilled what the prophets have foretold and he appears to Mary and the disciples.
The element of discovery in the plot is when Jesus rose from the grave after fighting with Satan in the bowels of Hell and the Son of God is victorious.
There were several conflicts and arguments in the play. The Scribes and Pharisees are questioning Jesus in front of the temple. They seem to try and trap Jesus into answers that would turn the people away from him but Jesus responds to their questions wisely and avoids their traps. In the upper room while the disciples were partaking in the Last Supper, Jesus tells them that the one who is to betray him is in the room with them. Jesus tells Judas "whatever you must do, do it quickly". Jesus was arrested in the garden and Peter, James and John want to run away or fight for their freedom. Jesus stays and surrenders himself to the guards. Jesus confronts the guards and allows the arrest as he knows it is the will of God. Jesus is also tried for...
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