Two years, not one. The Passion Play was postponed in March 2020 for as long as it was clear that because of the virus, which was new at the time, under no circumstances would half a million international visitors come to Oberammergau. Postpone by two years, that seemed unnecessarily long at the time. But it was imperative to book the tickets back because of the bureaucratic effort, it was said at the time. But also two years to make sure that the damned virus would be over by summer 2022.
In autumn 2021 the world will be different, but nothing has been overcome. The incidence on November 2, 2022 in the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district is 231.1, and it feels like everything is moving towards more restrictions than more freedom. In mid-November, however, the choir and orchestra will meet again to rehearse, at the beginning of December the players will come together for a second first reading rehearsal, and the scenic rehearsals will begin in January 2022. At some point large groups are supposed to come together, in one of the largest mass scenes of the Passion, around 900 people were on stage, old, young, children.
Passion play director Christian Stückl and the village of Oberammergau, which literally took part in the Passion plays, are still there – still? Again? – before immense challenges. Because also for Oberammergau applies: There will be a few hundred unvaccinated among the almost 5500 inhabitants. It can be assumed that the infection rate will have calmed down again by early summer 2022, but the samples will have to take place soon, in the dead of winter. How does it work?
Frederik Mayet, Jesus actor and conveniently also press spokesman, sees the situation calmly under the circumstances. His answer is “testing”. He says: “We have been assuming all along that we have to do exactly that, with a good hygiene concept.” At the moment, the game management plans to test everyone before each rehearsal, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated or not, regardless of whether they are a cello player or a youngster. For this, trained staff must be employed or a small test center must be set up. You’re just thinking about how to solve that, says Mayet.
Samples that are as safe as possible for everyone involved
There are no other options. To inquire about the vaccination status of everyone, for example, or to introduce a 2-G rule for the passion samples, is not possible under labor law. For the time of the Passion Play, all those involved conclude a contract with the community and are therefore employed there. Keeping a distance or wearing a mask, on the other hand, is not compatible with artistic work. There were indirect calls for vaccinations on the part of the Passion team, with a vaccination campaign in the Passion Play Theater in July 2021, around 50 people from Oberammergau would have been vaccinated, after all. The attitude of the game management towards vaccination can be seen quite clearly from this. Nevertheless: You can’t force anyone. And vaccination breakthroughs are also unfortunately real.
That leaves testing. Frederik Mayet says: “When we organize rehearsals where vaccinated and unvaccinated or even children come together, we have to protect the weakest. It is important for us that we can rehearse and that we can rehearse as safely as possible for everyone involved.” Game director Stückl, who also runs a recently opened Volkstheater in Munich, is at least familiar with extensive test concepts. At the Volkstheater, everyone involved in the rehearsals has been tested daily for months in order to be able to move around the stage reasonably freely. Incidentally, this is part of everyday life at most theaters. Testing is tedious and expensive, but practical. Not as bad as new major restrictions that Mayet dreads.
Testing in Oberammergau then has to be paid for by the “Eigenbetrieb Oberammergau Kultur”. Mayet is not yet able to predict exactly what additional costs will be incurred by the community. There is only one fact that is no longer shaken: the premiere of the Passion Play is on May 14, 2022.