Advance ticket sales start for the Oberammergau Passion Play 2022
After the 42nd Oberammergau Passion Play had to be postponed to 2022 due to the Corona pandemic, advance ticket sales will start on 5th October 2020. Director Christian Stückl gave an overview of the current state of planning and presented the schedule until the premiere on 14th May 2022.
Press conference for the advance ticket sales for the Passion Play 2022 (1st mayor of Oberammergau Andreas Rödl, play director Christian Stückl, manager of the Passionsspiele Vertriebs GmbH Walter Rutz)
The origin of the Passion Play goes back to a vow made in 1633 by the people of Oberammergau to avert the plague which was rampant at that time. Following the ten-year rhythm, the 42nd Passion Play would have taken place in the year 2020. Due to the Corona pandemic the Play had to be postponed by two years.
"We are in contact with the responsible authorities and will coordinate closely with them," says Director Christian Stückl. But one thing is certain: "We will play, fulfil the vow and continue the tradition of the Passion Play," Stückl knows for sure. "It is not yet clear which conditions will apply in two years.” The planning for the Passion Play is proving challenging, since an exact forecast for 2022 is not yet possible at the present time.
In the past months, 450,000 tickets have been reversed. Every customer who had already booked had the option of either rebooking or cancelling the tickets they had already purchased. "50 % of the tickets are already booked for 2022," explains Walter Rutz, Managing Director of Passionsspiele Oberammergau Vertriebs GmbH & Co. KG. "We are pleased that so many customers have stayed with us.” The remaining tickets will be available in advance from Monday, 5th October. Then both, single tickets and so called arrangements, will be available. These packages contain, apart from a ticket, one or two overnight stays as well as a dinner in the break.
An important day for the people of Oberammergau on the way to the next Passion Play will be Ash Wednesday on 17th February 2021. From this day on, the hair and beard decree will be in effect again and all participants of the Passion Play will be asked to let their hair grow, the men also their beards. The start of rehearsals with all participants is planned for December 2021.
For the 2022 Passion Play 103 performances are planned. The premiere is scheduled for 14th May, the last performance is on 2nd October. The Passion Play Theatre in Oberammergau has 4,500 seats, making it the largest open-air stage with a covered auditorium in the world.