Passion aplenty for open-air spectacular
MORE than 10,000 people braved near-freezing conditions as one of the most eye-catching pieces of street theatre attempted in Britain came to Winchester.
With a cast of nearly 300, and a similar number of technicians and stewards, along with music, large screens and special effects, this was a night for the city to remember.
The Winchester Passion 2008 told the story of the betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus, followed by the resurrection and ascension.
Professional actor, Israel Oyelumade, took the lead role, while the rest of the cast was drawn from dedicated amateurs based in Hampshire.
Several landmarks were used to dramatise the story including Oram's Arbour, The Great Hall, The Buttercross and the city's cathedral.
The play was performed using modern costume and dialogue, in the hope of making it accessible to all.
The show, which lasted nearly three hours, was also free, with churches across Winchester working together to raise more than £50,000 to stage the piece.
It is three decades since the city's last passion play, which was a smaller event at the cathedral.
The organisers of the 2008 version are not expecting another to be attempted in Winchester for many years, given the extensive work involved.
With hundreds of cast and crew, the army volunteered to set up a field kitchen to keep everyone working on the show fed and watered.
Bus operator, Stagecoach, ran extra evening services to cope with the demand generated by the play.
The show began at 6pm this evening (Good Friday, March 21) at Oram's Arbour, which was turned into a bustling market.
Despite early rains, the weather gods relented, and the audience only had to contend with the chilly temperatures.
The action then moved to The Great Hall where the Last Supper was staged. Pontius Pilate - played by Mike Carson from St Cross - then gave his judgement outside the Combined Courts.
Several thousand people converged on the area, which meant that many were unable to see the action, or even the large screen.
As a result, some drifted home, into nearby pubs, or down to the cathedral grounds in anticipation of the final scene.
Among those choosing the final option were Chris and Christine Jones, from Otterbourne, who came to the play with their youngster, Sam.
Said Mr Jones: "We didn't even go to Oram's Arbour. We decided to go straight to the cathedral to get a good view."
Mrs Jones added: "I think it's really good show and it is worth watching."
Back at the courts, Jesus shouldered his 'cross' - a heavy wooden pole - and headed past the Westgate, down the High Street, and to the Buttercross.
His journey ended at the cathedral, with the crucifixion scene taking place on the balcony of the Norman landmark's iconic west front.
Thousands packed the grounds, and those still outside the Great Hall were urged to stay to watch the final scene on the large screen to avoid a crush at the cathedral.
Following his crucifixion, the crowds watched the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, and applauded warmly before leaving the grounds.
The play's publicity director, Mike Simpson, said they estimated between 10,000 and 12,000 people watched the spectacle.
"We were absolutely over the moon at the turnout and delighted that people seem to have enjoyed it so much."
He added that apart from a couple of technical hitches with the microphones, everything ran smoothly.
The organisers now hope that people will want to learn more about what they have seen.
"It doesn't end tonight with this play; there are follow ups if people are interested in discussing more about the passion and Christianity," said Mr Simpson.
Visit www.thewinchesterpassion.org.uk for more information.
10:32pm Friday 21st March 2008
Print 
Email this 
CommentPosted by: Lou, Winchester on 3:03pm Sat 22 Mar 08
Congratulations to all those who participated in this event. It was a great evening and enjoyed by many. A credit to the winchester churches together community.
Congratulations to all those who participated in this event. It was a great evening and enjoyed by many. A credit to the winchester churches together community.
Posted by: Alex, Winchester on 8:10am Sun 23 Mar 08
Personally, I thought it was a poor evening enjoyed by few. So much time and effort put into an event that only the front row could see, leaving the rest of the audience to be subjected to listening to a poor script, badly played over an inadequate video and audio system A badly planned excersise in religious recruitment. By the sound of the majority of the audience who left in droves, a feeling shared by thousands!
Personally, I thought it was a poor evening enjoyed by few. So much time and effort put into an event that only the front row could see, leaving the rest of the audience to be subjected to listening to a poor script, badly played over an inadequate video and audio system A badly planned excersise in religious recruitment. By the sound of the majority of the audience who left in droves, a feeling shared by thousands!
Posted by: Mike, Winchester on 12:51pm Sun 23 Mar 08
Sorry to read the grumpy comment from Alex. WE all thought it was an amazing event and despite the freezing temperatures thousands stayed right to the end, watching in near silence as the crucifixion took place followed by the uplifting resurrection scenes. That goes for everyone I've spoken to which must be 20 or 30 people! Mike
Sorry to read the grumpy comment from Alex. WE all thought it was an amazing event and despite the freezing temperatures thousands stayed right to the end, watching in near silence as the crucifixion took place followed by the uplifting resurrection scenes. That goes for everyone I've spoken to which must be 20 or 30 people! Mike
Posted by: Beth, Winchester on 2:26pm Sun 23 Mar 08
Really enjoyed the drama, really moving event. Well done. Enjoyed the scene at the buttercross - real life joined with theatre. Fab lighting and sound. A great night to remember!
Really enjoyed the drama, really moving event. Well done. Enjoyed the scene at the buttercross - real life joined with theatre. Fab lighting and sound. A great night to remember!
Posted by: Rosie, Harestock on 2:34pm Sun 23 Mar 08
Fantastic community event. A big thank you to all involved. Inspiring, challenging and a tribute to the hard work of so many people.
Fantastic community event. A big thank you to all involved. Inspiring, challenging and a tribute to the hard work of so many people.
Posted by: me"!, st-ives cornwall on 9:53pm Mon 24 Mar 08
shame bout da adverts *money money money is ya middle name*[bold]bold[/bold] [italic]italic[/italic] [quote]quote[/quote]
shame bout da adverts *money money money is ya middle name*
quote
Posted by: Redfield, Winchester on 1:53pm Tue 25 Mar 08
[quote][bold]me"![/bold] wrote:
shame bout da adverts *money money money is ya middle name*[bold]bold[/bold] [italic]italic[/italic] [quote]quote[/quote] [/quote] What adverts? If you are referring to the note at the end that if people had been affected by what they had seen and wanted to talk to someone, then that is what the church is about. Part of the story at the end - the Great Commission. The fact that over 10,000 people turned out to see this in less than favourable weather conditions I think speaks for itself. Yes there were some who left, maybe because they couldn't see or had small children, or were affected by the cold. But I was at the Cathedral and the grounds were packed right up to the end. There was no way of planning for how many people would turn up. This has never been attempted before and so there wasn't any yardstick to go by. The organisers were simply overtaken by the numbers turning up. Howerver I understand there will be a dvd available and highlights will be shown tonight (Tues) on BBC South Today
me"! wrote:
shame bout da adverts *money money money is ya middle name* quote
What adverts? If you are referring to the note at the end that if people had been affected by what they had seen and wanted to talk to someone, then that is what the church is about. Part of the story at the end - the Great Commission. The fact that over 10,000 people turned out to see this in less than favourable weather conditions I think speaks for itself. Yes there were some who left, maybe because they couldn't see or had small children, or were affected by the cold. But I was at the Cathedral and the grounds were packed right up to the end. There was no way of planning for how many people would turn up. This has never been attempted before and so there wasn't any yardstick to go by. The organisers were simply overtaken by the numbers turning up. Howerver I understand there will be a dvd available and highlights will be shown tonight (Tues) on BBC South Today
What are these links for?
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
More on Digg
More on del.icio.us
More on Furl
More on reddit
More on NowPublic/
More on Yahoo!
