Upper Lake >> Each year since 1981, on an expanse of grassy, sloping hillside just north of Lakeport, the Passion Play attracts a sizable crowd of people. Locals and visitors alike gather to watch the re-enactment of the story of Jesus. And despite a narrative that never changes, each year the play improves and changes just a little bit. “This is the 35 year and every year it gets better and better,” said producer Father Philip Ryan.
The Lake County Outdoor Passion Play is held today and tomorrow at 4 p.m.
The Passion Play is an involved production with nearly 200 actors and live horses, sheep, pigeons and other animals. “There are no gimmicks. We go straight from the Bible,” Father Ryan said. “People get a lot out of it and they come from all over … They’re really touched by it time and time again.”
The origins of the play can be traced back to Father Ryan’s first ten years of his priesthood spent in Australia. Every year on Palm Sunday, the diocese joined together for an outdoor “Way of the Cross.” This inspired Father Ryan to create something similar, so people of all denominations in Lake County could come together for prayer.
Father Ryan joined with Father Paul Moran, who’d had experience with liturgical dramas, including large indoor Passion Plays, during his time spent in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The two priests came together at Saint Mary’s Parish in 1978, and through a combination of Father Ryan’s idea and Father Moran’s experience, the Lake County Outdoor Passion Play was born.
While the play has been held at the same site since its beginnings, it wasn’t until 2001 that the Passion Play acquired the land. For 20 years, the property belonged to the Beltramo Ranch. With the help of the community, plus an anonymous donor from Ireland, the Passion Play purchased the 85 acres for $400,000.
After 35 years, there’s little room left for improvement, to neither the grounds nor the play itself. They have a costume house, a large space for rehearsing and a sound system. “We have everything now, there’s nothing for us to add or anything,” said Father Ryan. “I know [the play] backward.”
The grounds are tended to all year long, keeping shrubbery in check and caring for the horses, sheep and llamas which roam the land. But two months before the third weekend in May, things are kicked into high gear. Advertisements for actors are placed and the cast and crew goes into rehearsal for six weeks.
Some people have been reprising their roles for years, while newcomers also join the cast. “There’s a bit of a turnover every so often,” Father Ryan said. “The hill is very, very steep and some of the older people find it difficult to climb the hill.”
But when the actors stay, they’re usually in it for the long haul. Jose Contreras has been playing Judas for the last ten years, and before that he got his feet wet in the Passion Play as a Roman soldier. When the actor portraying Judas left, the play organizers asked Contreras if he would step into the role. Others weren’t keen on playing the “bad guy” but Contreras was happy for the part. “My first year, when I saw the person who was playing Judas, that was one of the emotional parts for me because of the way he was acting,” he said.
Five stages are situated on the large hill, which actors traverse during the performance. The actors – some riding horses – and animals make their way over the hill and down its face. Though being a part of the Passion Play is sometimes physically demanding, the hillside brings the play alive. Father Ryan recalled talking with a man last year, who found the setting awe-inspiring. “That makes all the difference,” Father Ryan said. “It really is very, very powerful.”
The outdoor setting also lends itself to some pretty spectacular moments. During a recent production, clouds glided overhead throughout the performance. Then, at the moment of the resurrection, the sun suddenly appeared, shining brightly. Many people in attendance were left speechless. “Sometimes a big cloud comes over and people associate that with the presence of God,” Father Ryan said. “It’s amazing. Over the years people have all kinds of stories of what they see.”
Watching the Passion Play is an exceptionally spiritual experience. Emotion overcomes the audience, especially when the cross is hung, Jesus covered with blood. “It’s very, very touching and very, very moving,” Father Ryan said. “Their eyes are on Jesus all the way from the beginning to the end. It’s gratifying to see people get something spiritual from it.”
It’s an equally moving experience for the actors, many of whom feel as though they’ve been transported back in time, as if they are truly in the presence of Jesus. “I feel something kind of powerful,” said Contreras. “It always was emotional.”
The Lake County Outdoor Passion Play is held at 7010 Westlake Road, just north of Lakeport. It begins at 4 p.m. and lasts about two hours. Admission is free. Seating is not provided, so bring a chair.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
