!!!Passionsspiele

Passion plays, religious lay theatre of medieval origin. They are 
based on liturgic Easter ceremonies (manuscripts from Melk, 
11%%sup th/%  and 12%%sup th/%  centuries, from Vienna, around 
1200, from Seckau and St. Lambrecht, 12%%sup th/%  century, 
from Vorau, 13%%sup th/%  century) and Easter plays (manuscripts 
from Klosterneuburg, 13%%sup th/%  century, "Innsbrucker 
Osterspiel" / "Innsbruck Easter Play", 1391, "Wiener 
Osterspiel" / "Vienna Easter Play", 1472). In the Alpine 
countries passion plays flourished during the Middle Ages and the 
Baroque period. Passion plays, which dealt with the events of Christ's 
passion, gradually developed into plays of gigantic proportions by the 
introduction of various features (from the Old Testament, comic 
elements taken from the  Fastnacht plays), their performance often 
lasting for several days. In addition to Tirol, one of the centres of 
the passion play, Vienna also gained importance, and passion plays 
were performed there from the mid-14%%sup th/%  century in the 
chapel of the town hall (Rathauskapelle) as well as from the beginning 
of the 15%%sup th/%  century in St. Stephen's Cathedral. It is 
recorded that between 1486 and 1519 the wood-carver W. Rollinger was a 
producer of passion plays in Vienna. Under Joseph II and during the 
Vormaerz period passion plays were banned, but the tradition never 
died out completely. At the end of the 19%%sup th/%  century and 
after World War I passion plays were still performed in many towns and 
villages in Austria (mainly in Tirol, Styria, Carinthia and Upper 
Austria). After 1945 amateur theatre groups revived the old tradition 
of passion plays (in Erl in Tirol, Kirchschlag in Bucklige Welt region 
and in St. Margarethen in Burgenland).

!Literature
L. Kretzenbacher, Passionsbrauch und Christi-Leiden-Spiel 
in den SO-Alpenlaendern, 1952; A. M. Aschenbrenner, 
Passionsspiele in Oesterreich, doctoral thesis, Vienna 1953; U. 
Kammesberger, Das Auffuehrungsbild des Passionsspiels der Gegenwart, 
doctoral thesis, Vienna 1965; Passionsspiele im Roemersteinbruch 
St. Margarethen, 1971; H. Holzmann, Erl in Tirol Das Dorf des 
Passionsspiels, 1979; F. Hadamowsky, Mittelalterliches geistliches 
Spiel in Wien 1499-1718, 1981.


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