Every ten years since 1634, the Bavarian village of Oberammergau has performed the world's most famous Passion Play, recounting the last days of Jesus Christ. In 2010, presenting the play for the 41st time, the village broke with tradition to offer a new interpretation for a post-millennial, international audience. Drawing on interviews with villagers and international responses, this collection of new essays provides an analysis of the play by scholars who attended. Topics include changes in response to charges of anti-Semitism, how the play defines the village, how the performance changes the audience, and a comparison of Oberammergau 2010 with American Passion Plays, Indian pilgrimage drama and other German Passion Plays.

This collection provides a comprehensive overview of the Oberammergau Passion play and its history from the 19th century onwards. Specialists in theatre and performance studies, comparative literature, theology, political studies, history, and ethnology initiate an interdisciplinary discussion of how Oberammergau has built a trademark from tradition. A typological and historical outline of this development is followed by detailed analyses of the blending of spaces, temporalities, and cultures, through which Oberammergau as an institution is stabilized while at the same time remaining open to the dynamics of historical change. The authors comprise the formation of a theatrical public sphere, literary imaginations, and layers of authenticity in modern practices of distributed communication that culminate in the notion of tradition as trademark. This collection is analysed from a wide spectrum of cultural historical perspectives, ranging from literary studies, theatre and performance studies to theology, political studies, and ethnology.

Scientific Study from the year 2007 in the subject Cultural Studies - Miscellaneous, grade: keine, Cornell University (Departement of History), language: English, abstract: Der amerikanische Diplomat und Universitätsgründer Andrew Dickson White besuchte im Jahr 1880 Deutschland und wurde Zeuge von zwei kulturellen Ereignissen, die noch heute für deutsche Theaterkultur stehen: Oberammergau und Bayreuth. White zeigte sich fasziniert von Oberammergau, dessen religiösen Ernst er lobte und angewidert von Richard Wagners Gralsopern, denen er eine gewisse Künstlichkeit anmerkte. Aus Whites Einschätzung wird nicht nur die Mentalität des Amerikaners deutlich, vielmehr auch die allgemeine Einschäztung der beiden Kulturerscheinungen. In dieser Studie wird dargelegt, wie die beiden Festspielorte Bayreuth und Oberammergau aus der Sicht eines Zeitgenossen beschrieben werden und wofür sie standen.