badlands passion play
Behind every great production, lies inspiration. Every year, well in advance of the Badlands Passion Play, inspiration and anticipation draws musicians, actors, designers and carpenters from around the country, to begin dedicated rehearsals. Countless hours are invested in transforming the valley into an amphitheatre capable of holding up to 3,000 people at a time. Ultimately, it is within this hidden arid valley that audiences are transported to another time and place.
The Canadian Badlands Passion Play was recently named one of North America’s Top 100 Events, as well as Alberta’s Top Cultural Attraction. Time after time, show after show, audiences come away declaring both setting and performance to be profoundly moving.
The venue lies deep within the Canadian Badlands, in a hidden valley that seems tailor-made for the production. Eons of the sun’s rising and setting have baked the barren soil into spidery canyons that are reminiscent of the geography in parts of Israel, owing to the authentic dramatic portrayal of the culture; and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as it is performed by this inspired troop of entertainers.
In the 1960s, when the play was still nothing more than a creative genesis, the seed was planted for this ambitious undertaking; it would be another twenty-eight years before it actually took root. When it did take off in the late 1980s, Alberta was host to the Winter Olympics and the Community Tourism Action Plans initiative had been launched by the Alberta government to encourage communities to nurture what would become a vibrant arts and culture movement.
Early popularity suggested the play would be a success, but during the first year it became remarkably clear that it would not just grow; it would thrive. The premiere season drew thousands of spectators, every show was sold out.
Word of the unique setting and passionate troupe of dedicated storytellers and musicians spread from the Badlands like a prairie wildfire. Busloads of guests that were hungry for the vivid experience befitting the magnitude and scope of the life of Christ poured into the valley in droves.
As the audiences grew, so too did the facilities. A massive wall reminiscent of the gates around Jerusalem eventually sealed off the valley and formed a gateway between two worlds. Bedouin tents sprang up, a tomb was carved into the set, and the backstage area was developed to hold a growing cast of people and animals. The stage was developed to meet the needs of a flourishing script; and, with more room to work, new scenes could be added and new stories became ripe for exploration.
As with all great stories, there is still work to be done but the vision is bright and blooming. With the help of volunteers and supporters, this barren valley is continually transformed every year and brought to an ever-growing audience and ever-growing support.