Just in time for the premiere of the Passion Play in Oberammergau this weekend the animal protection organization Peta announced its protest. An activist dressed as Jesus will drive up and down in front of the theater on an e-scooter to demonstrate against the use of animals on the stage, the organization said. It immediately comes to mind that in a democracy everyone is free to make a fool of themselves. That would be a very cheap joke though, as Peta points out that donkeys are smart, sociable, and affectionate.
In general, all sorts of expectations are brought to the Passion Play. At the press conference last week, the demand was heard that by 2030, Jesus must finally be played by a woman and Mary by a man. It should also be added that the crucifixion is also an outdated strategy for conflict resolution, which is why Ms. Jesus (after moving in on an e-scooter) could resolve her quarrel with the establishment through mediation. Possibly one or the other Apostle could be replaced by psychotherapists. That would be very nice.
But as for the theater donkey, good old Sancho was suffering from hair loss and general motivation problems, which is why he was replaced by Catalan giant Aramis in March. During the rehearsals, he left the impression that he was basically in the mood for the Passion Play, if only because it is a change from hanging around on the pasture. In addition to Aramis, various sheep, camels, horses, chickens and even white pigeons are used in Oberammergau. The latter manage to escape from their baskets at every performance when Jesus is raging in the temple. They simply flee across the open stage into freedom, although it is not clear whether they are disposable pigeons or whether they will immediately head for their home loft in Oberammergau.
If Peta has its way, all these critters will soon be out of work and replaced by drones, e-scooters and cargo bikes. Luckily, the Last Supper has always been vegan, so it can probably still be eaten unchanged at the Passion 2030.