Passion 2022: The decision on the vow game should be made in March

Created: 01/11/2022, 5:50 PM

From: Josef Hornsteiner

Finally it starts: Game director Christian Stückl is in a good mood at the first reading sample for the Passion 2022 in the Ammergauer Haus.

© Dominik Bartl

Christian Stückl gets his Oberammergau residents in the mood for the coming months with the first excerpt from the Passion 2022.

Whether and how the vow game will take place will be discussed in March.

Oberammergau

- The rules of the game are clear, Christian Stückl makes them clear. “If you don't want a stick in your nose, you stay at home.” The basic requirement to be able to stand in front of you on Holy Three Kings Day in the Ammergau house. The director of the Passion 2022 looks into the faces of 111 Oberammergauers. Everyone had to be tested in advance. Nothing works without proof. A procedure that now waits for the performers of this year's vow play before every reading sample. Otherwise the rehearsals could not take place - literally. If you don't follow the rules of the game, you don't play along. So easy and yet so difficult.

The pandemic and the requirements make the work for the director of the Passion Play 2022 a tangible challenge.

Strictly speaking, so Stückl explains in his greeting at the first reading sample on Thursday, the Passion would currently “be able to take place in front of exactly zero people”.

Just like in the Bavarian football stadiums, only one ghost game would be allowed - generally no major international events are allowed to take place.

“But it doesn't help, we just have to start rehearsing now.” They all have to be ready, even if no one knows exactly how the vows will go on stage from May onwards.

Each speaking role invited Stückl

Stückl invited every speaking role, no matter how small it is.

The text is right, despite the two-year break.

Some more, some less loudly, the first scene of the Passion is presented in front of numerous cameras and journalists.

“The text was lying around for a long time, so of course I didn't do anything to it,” says Stückl and laughs with a wink.

Anyone who knows him knows that he of course used the corona-related forced break to work on the manuscript.

Then he would always withdraw, immerse himself in the game, scribble with a pen.

Now he's done.

And the actors are ready to go.

Deepened in their text: The Jesus actors Frederik Mayet (left) and Rochus Rückel.

© Dominik Bartl

He still doesn't know how the passion will go through. Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) was there in advance, he explains. And the district administrator. And many who care about the world-famous piece. "I can't imagine a full house," Holetschek is supposed to have said, explains Stückl. But the Oberammergauer is still in good spirits. “We'll take it.” The next round of talks would be in March. "Then we know what's going on." Until then, we rehearse hard.

The schedule is tight, explains Stückl.

In two weeks he would like to have gone through the entire piece.

Next Monday he meets with the two Jesus actors Frederik Mayet and Rochus Rückel.

Then on Tuesday the next scene and so on.

The game master wants to "give full throttle".

Not easy for him.

After all, the artistic director of the Munich Volkstheater has to successfully stage a premiere in the state capital between the 14 days.

The performers now have to stick to their noses before each rehearsal.

© Dominik Bartl

But everything continues as smoothly as on Thursday evening, Stückl sees no problems. "We are very satisfied," he says after the rehearsal, which was open to the press for an hour. Due to the corona tests, there should be no time restrictions in advance. "We already had very good experiences with this test facility at the Volkstheater in Munich," says Stückl. He cannot yet say what the main rehearsals will look like, the dates have not yet been set - and thus also not which restrictions will apply until then.

Almost all of them are still confident in the text - after all, there have been only minimal changes in the main actors over the past two years.

For example, Veronika Hecht will not be seen on stage in her role as Veronika.

"Who will take over the successor has yet to be determined," says Maximilian Mayet from the press team.

In addition, the role of "Gamaliel" was deleted.

The actors Christian Bierling and Walter Rutz take on the role of Josef von Arimathäa.