The Passion (Netherlands)

The Passion
The logo, as seen during the staging in Rotterdam
Genre	Music
Created by	Jacco Doornbos
Directed by	David Grifhorst
Composer(s)	Cor Bakker (2011-2012) Eric van Tijn (2013-present)
Country of origin	Netherlands
Production
Producer(s)	Eye2Eye Media
Running time	90 minutes
Release
Original network	EO KRO-NCRV
Original release	21 April 2011
External links
Website

The Passion is a Dutch passion play, held every Maundy Thursday since 2011 in a different city each year. The event is broadcast live on Dutch television. In 2015, it was broadcast on radio as well.

The event began as a collaboration between the broadcasters EO and RKK. At present, it is mainly a joint effort between the broadcasters EO and KRO-NCRV.

The participating organizations consider The Passion missionary work and they see it as a chance to promote Easter and Christianity in general.

Creation

The Dutch event and television program is partly inspired by the English local play Manchester Passion, held on Good Friday and broadcast by the BBC Three. The production company Eye2Eye Media brought the event to the Netherlands. The first Dutch version was held at the market square in Gouda, with a live broadcast on national television on Maundy Thursday 2011. It proved successful and new editions followed thereafter.

Currently, The Passion is a project between the broadcasters EO and KRO-NCRV, the Protestant and Roman Catholic churches in the Netherlands, and the Netherlands Bible Society.

Feature

Structure

On Maundy Thursday, three days prior to Easter, the event takes place on a main square in a Dutch city. On this square, Dutch celebrities paraphrase selected Bible passages to tell the story of Easter and Jesus, with live performances of relevant Dutch pop songs in between. Throughout the years, songs from Dutch musicians such as Marco Borsato, BLØF, Guus Meeuwis and Nick & Simon have been used. Meanwhile, a group of 40 people bear a huge white cross towards the main podium in the center square. The cross has a weight of almost 900 pounds and it is nearly 20 feet tall. It is possible to follow this event online; with a second screen, people can join the procession virtually on The Passion website.

Location

The geographical spread of all Dutch editions throughout the country

The host city is selected annually on the basis of various factors:

• The recognition amongst the Dutch population. A local theme that ties in with the story of suffering and resurrection is helpful. For example, the 2015 edition, staged in Enschede, referred to a fireworks disaster and the subsequent rebuilding of a new urban district called Roombeek.
• The presence of a large space that can carry up to 20,000 — 25,000 people. The performance stage is built in this area. Additionally, an overflow zone is required to safely disperse excess visitors, if need be.
• The possibility to adequately record the different scenes.
• The willingness of the city to provide both financial and practical contributions.^[1]

The first three editions were all held in the province of South Holland. The fourth edition, held in Groningen, was the first outside of the Randstad. Since that year, the locations are geographically spread throughout the country. The 2016 edition will be staged in Amersfoort.

Editions

2011, Gouda

The event was staged on 21 April in the old city center of Gouda. The event attracted about 20,000 visitors and it was followed by around one million viewers on television. In June 2012, the Gouda edition of The Passion won an award for best city marketing event.

2012, Rotterdam

Cross bearers en route — The Passion 2012

The Rotterdam event was staged on 5 April on the Willemsplein. It was broadcast on national television and seen by 1.7 million viewers.

2013, The Hague

The event was staged on 28 March in the city center of The Hague. De procession departured from graveyard Sint Petrusbanden. The main stage of this edition was formed by the Hofvijver. Around 2.3 million viewers saw The Passion live on television.

2014, Groningen

The Passion in the Dutch city of Groningen, 2014

On 17 April, The Passion was staged on the Vismarkt in Groningen. Roughly 20,000 visitors came to see the play and it had around 3.2 million television viewers.

2015, Enschede

The Passion was held on 2 April on the Hendrik Jan van Heekplein in Enschede. This year, the event was broadcast on radio as well.^[2] A total of 3,574,000 viewers watched the live television broadcasting.

2016, Amersfoort

On 2 September 2015, it was revealed that The Passion will be staged on 24 March 2016, on the Eemplein in Amersfoort.^[3]

Cast

Dutch singer Danny de Munk played Jesus in 2012

References

External links

• Official website