Canadian Badlands Passion Play – Jesus is lead into Jerusalem on a donkey. Photo: Ron Nickel.
Ticket sales for Canadian Badlands Passion Play suffered because of floods
The show must go on, according to the Canadian Badlands Passion Play, which just managed to clean up from Alberta floods in time for its opening performance July 10.
Canadian Badlands Passion Play. Photo: Ron Nickel.
“Just a week before we were to perform, the Red Deer River flood waters swept over the riverside campground where Passion Play actors and support staff live during rehearsals and performances,” says Executive Director Vance Neudorf.
The campground was quickly evacuated and the actors relocated to higher ground at the Badlands Passion Play site. Passion Play parking lots designed for patrons on performance days were filled to capacity with actor RVs while the lawns around the Jerusalem styled buildings were crowded with tents.
As the water receded, organizers were faced with ruined washroom facilities and a foot of thick, sticky mud spread across the entire campground. With only one week to opening night, a cleanup seemed impossible.
But Neudorf says that thanks to the tireless efforts of Encana, ATCO, the Town of Drumheller and numerous volunteers, the campground was back up and running just in time. The parking lots were cleared, the sun came out and the 20th season started on cue.
The Canadian Badlands Passion Play is a dramatic retelling of the life of Jesus Christ. The 200-plus performer play is supported by 400 volunteers and presented in a 30-acre natural badlands canyon bowl whose stark and dramatic geographical surroundings mirror those of ancient Israel.
Canadian Badlands Passion Play. Photo: Ron Nickel.
The Canadian Badlands Passion Play has gained provincial, national and international reputation as one of North America’s top ‘must see’ cultural and tourism events. The site of the play is near Drumheller, Alta. approximately 150 kilometres (90 miles) northeast of Calgary.
While the plays went off without a hitch, the Alberta floods did affect attendance.
“Ticket sales for the 20th anniversary season of the Canadian Badlands Passion Play in Drumheller were well ahead of the previous five year’s average prior to the flooding, but the rising waters around the province brought a marked decline in bookings for our nine plays this summer,” said Neudorf.
The weather for the nine performances of the Canadian Badlands Passion Play, the most ever undertaken in one season, was stellar. The Badlands Passion Play record of only cancelling two shows due to weather in the past twenty years remained intact, says Neudorf.
New for the 2013 performances was veteran Alberta actor Aaron Krogman, who made his debut as Jesus. There was also the completion of the Forum, a smaller theatre space that functions as a foyer for the main stage production. Visitors to the site walked in through a marketplace with live music, vendors and stalls.
Plans for 2014 will include more enhancements to this area and beginning in August, a local theatre group will be performing Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing” in the new Forum theatre.
“We were also pleased with the very positive customer feedback that we have received from online websites such as www.tripadvisor.ca and our own customer feedback. In both situations research revealed that 95 per cent plus of people who saw a 2013 performance of The Canadian Badlands Passion Play would recommend the play to friend,” said Neudorf.
Tentative 2014 dates are July 10-20.
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