What is it like to write a Passion Play?

Passion plays tell the Easter story, a story some describe as the greatest story ever told. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to write a script for a Passion Play?

The starting point for any Passion Play is the Bible. The four Gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, tell the story of Jesus, his life, death and resurrection. These accounts are sparse and factual – there is little poetry or character development as in a novel.

Their main focus is the eye witness accounts of events that took place around them. Although John’s Gospel does have some beautiful poetic moments. One such example is as the very beginning of John which starts ‘In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God…’.

Using the Bible as the starting point, there are many ways to tell the story of Easter and script-writers from all over the UK have been inspired by their own experiences and the experiences of their local community.

Watch this interview with Emily from the Birmingham Passion. She explains what is was like to write the script for their Passion Play in 2019.