OBERAMMERGAU PASSION PLAY
(TICKETS WITH TWO NIGHTS ACCOMODATION)

Tickets available for the following performances:
May 20, 2010, or MAY 23, 2010

THE OBERAMMERGAU PASSION PLAY
This world-famous Passion Play has been performed by the villagers of Oberammergau, a tradition dating back to 1634.

The tradition dates back to a Bubonic Plague which ravaged Europe during the 1630s. The death toll among adults in the village rose from one in October 1632, to 20 by March 1633. The town folks vowed that if God were to spare them from the effects of the Plague, they would perform a play depicting the life and death of Jesus once every 10 years. Amazingly, by July of that year, the death toll subsided, when only one person died. As a result, the villagers believed they were spared by God, and the next year, they kept their part of the vow and presented the play for the first time.

The last passion play in the village was in 2000. Today, it is presented repeatedly over a five-month period on years ending in zero. This massive production involves over 2,000 performers, musicians, and stage technicians, all of whom are residents of the village. The play comprises spoken dramatic text, musical and choral accompaniment, and tableaux vivants. The tableaux vivants are a unique presentation, depicting scenes from the Old Testament using motionless actors, accompanied by verbal description. These scenes are the basis for the typology (the relationship between the Old and New Testaments) of the play. The tableaux vivants show King Ahasuerus rejecting Vashti in favor of Esther, the brothers selling Joseph into slavery in Egypt, and Moses raising up the bronze serpent in the wilderness. Each scene is presented as a prologue to a given scene within the play itself. The three tableaux mentioned are presented to the audience as prefiguring Christianity superseding Judaism, Judas betraying Jesus, and the crucifixion.

It can be said that the evolution of the Passion Play was about the same as that of the Easter Play, originating in the ritual of the Latin Church, which prescribes, among other things, that the Gospel on Good Friday should be sung in parts divided among various persons.

Audiences come from all over the world to see the play. Many come as part of a packaged tour, the first known example of which occured in 1870. Admission fees were first implemented in 1790. And since 1930, the number of visitors to this small Bavarian village has ranged from 420,000 to 530,000, whenever the Passion Play is presented.

There were at least two years in which the scheduled performance did not take place. In 1770, Oberammergau was informed that all Passion Plays in Bavaria had been banned, by order of the Ecclesiastical Council of the Elector, Maximillian Joseph, at the behest of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1780, the play was retitled The Old and New Testament. The new Elector, Karl Theodor, having been assured that the play was "purged of all objectionable and unseemly matter", approved the performance of the play. By 1830, the Catholic Church succeeded in halting the performance of all other Passion Plays in Bavaria, making Oberammergau the only village where it was still performed.

The First Act runs from 2:30 - 5:00pm, and the Second Act from 8:00 - 10:30pm. The Oberammergau play has a total running time of approximately seven hours, with a dinner served during intermission.

PLANNING YOUR TWO-NIGHT STAY
Plan to arrive in Oberammergau the night before your selected performance, and depart after breakfast the day after the performance. Dinner will be provided at the place of youraccomodation on your date of arrival.

On the day of performance, the morning is free at your disposal. You may leisurely stroll through the village, or perhaps visit the local sights, like the Museum, the Pilate-House or the Catholic Church St. Peter and Paul. Lunch will be served before the beginning of the performance in Oberammergau; dinner will be served at Intermission.

ACCOMODATIONS/PRICES
Prices listed per person, double occupancy, in Euros (€)

Payment for desired ticket category must be made in full, in cash or check, and is non-refundable. Rates issued in Euros, to be converted to US$ at time of purchase. QTS Tours & Travel reserves the right to adjust these rates in accordance with market fluctuations at time of purchase. Hotel and play ticket vouchers will be issued 2-3 months before scheduled play.

HOW TO PURCHASE
Print this Ticket Order Form and mail it back to us with your check. Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Be sure to circle your desired performance date and accommodations category.

SPACE IS LIMITED, SO PLEASE CALL TO CHECK AVAILABILITY BEFORE PURCHASING YOUR TICKETS!

QTS TOURS & TRAVEL ALSO OFFERS THESE GREAT PILGRIMAGE PACKAGES, WHICH CONCLUDE AT OBERAMMERGAU:

EASTERN EUROPE – Warsaw, Divine Mercy, Budapest, Prague,
with Passion Play in Oberammergau
May 12 to 24, 2010

CENTRAL EUROPE – Amsterdam, Brussels, Luxemburg, Paris, Lisieux, Nevers, Paray Le Monial, Ars-sur-Formans, La Salette, Bern, Innsbruck,
with Passion Play in Oberammergau
May 8 to 21, 2010

* -- Accomodation rates current as of date of publication and subject to change. Prices listed in Euros (€), and will be converted to US$ at currency exchange rates in effect at time of purchase, and final purchase price will be based on the rate in effect at time order is received. Call QTS Tours & Travel for current exchange rate. Difference in exchange rate, if any, and additional services billed separately. Purchase not considered complete untill full payment received. Passion Play tickets/hotel vouchers will be delivered 2-3 months prior to scheduled Passion Play date. See Travel Terms and Conditions for details.