THE OBERAMMERGAU PASSION PLAY The village is famous for its performance of a Passion play every ten years. This is probably the most important survival of the miracle plays so popular from the 13th to the 16th century. Contrary to popular belief, this production is not a portrayal of the life of Christ, but only of the events of his last few days on earth, known as Passion week.
In 1633 the village was stricken with the scourge of the Black Death. As an expression of gratitude for the cessation of the scourge the inhabitants vowed to enact the Passion and death of Christ every ten years. The first performance was given in 1634 and repeated every ten years until 1674, after which the dates were changed so as to fall on decimal years. This now has been faithfully kept with the exception of 187o, when the Franco-Prussian War interfered. The earliest extant text of the play was written in 1662, probably by the monks of Ettal, a mon astery situated a few miles from Oberammergau. The text is slightly revised every ten years. The music was composed by Rochus Dedler, a schoolmaster of the parish, in 1814. The initial performance of the play is given the first Sunday in May, and is repeated every Sunday, with two or three extra performances each week. On account of the unsettled conditions resulting from the World War the 192o production was postponed until 1922, during which year it was played 61 times. It starts at eight o'clock in the morning and continues for eight hours, with a short intermission at noon. The characters are chosen by a committee made up of the village priest, burgomaster, village council and members selected by popular vote. No one may participate in the spectacle unless he is a native of the village and is of unim peachable moral character and dramatically qualified to enact the role for which he is chosen. Over 700 characters participate in the play. This includes the orchestra of so members and the chorus of 46. It is estimated that more than 300,00o witness the production each season. The proceeds are divided into four equal parts : one for the preparation of the play, one for the furnishing of homes for the visitors, one for the church and one for the players.
The play is enacted on a large open-air platform, the audience occupying an auditorium with a capacity of about 6,000, view ing the play through an immense oval opening in front of the auditorium. The play consists of 18 acts and a number of tab leaux. Each act is prefaced by an orchestral selection and a choral anthem giving the motif of the act. This, in turn, is followed by a tableau based on the Old Testament prefiguring the theme of the act. For instance, the scene depicting the Crucifixion is pre ceded by a tableau representing the offering of Isaac as a sacrifice by Abraham. The chief characters are the Christus, the Twelve Disciples, Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and Martha. Anton Lang holds the distinction of portraying the part of the Christus for three decades, 1900, 1910 and 1922. The participants regard their roles with religious devotion and enact their parts with the deepest reverence. In the years intervening between the representations of the play performances are given of many classics for the purpose of training the prospective players for the Passion play, in enunciation, stage bearing and all other requirements of dramatizing. No wigs or facial make-up are per mitted. The costumes, however, are of the biblical period and are of the very best material. The participants train their hair and beards and study to assume the general appearance of the char acters for which they are candidates. (W. E. V.) OBERHAUSEN, a town in the Prussian Rhine province, 5 m. from the east bank of the Rhine, 20 m. N.E. of Dusseldorf, on the main railway line to Hanover and Berlin, and at the centre of an important network of lines radiating hence into the West phalian coal and iron fields. Pop. (1933) 192,345. The first houses of Oberhausen were built in 1845, and it received its municipal character in 1874. The town has large iron-works, coal mines, rolling-mills, zinc smelting-works, dye-works, railway work shops and manufactures of wire-rope, glass, chemicals, sugar, porcelain and soap.