Great Passion Play Production New for the 2008 Season

While the story of the last days of Jesus' life on Earth has not changed in 2,000 years, the way it's told has changed at The Great Passion Play.

This year, the play contains parables and text from different gospels in the New Testament, focusing on more miracles Christ performed in the days before His crucifixion and resurrection. Ninety percent of the scenes are new.

"Overall, our new script develops new elements in the character of Jesus,” said Rick Mann, artistic director and one of the actors who portrays Jesus. "It shows the impact of Jesus on the lives of Pontius Pilate's wife, the high priests' servant Malchus, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea in new and fuller ways, and returns to a focus on the miraculous life story of Jesus. "

"We strongly believe it will impact audiences in a way like never before,” he said. "It will bring them back to The New Great Passion Play and create new fans.”

More than 7.4 million people have seen this outdoor drama performed in the hills of the Ozark Mountains in Eureka Springs, Arkansas during the past 40 years. The Great Passion Play runs from May 2 to Oct. 25, except for Sundays and Wednesdays. The drama is performed on a 550-foot outdoor stage with 250 actors and live animals. Other things to do see and do on the Passion Play grounds:

•Christ of the Ozarks: One of the most visited attractions in the Ozarks, the Christ of the Ozarks statue with its arms open wide is a ubiquitous presence overlooking Eureka Springs. Completed in 1966 by the late Emmet Sullivan, one of the artisans who sculpted Mount Rushmore, the statue stands seven stories high and weighs more than 2 million pounds. Every inch of the 24 layers of white mortar on a steel frame was built by hand. The hands, from wrist to fingertip, measure about 7 feet. The arm spread from fingertip to fingertip spans 65 feet.

The Christ of the Ozarks is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, free of charge. The statue and grounds are handicapped accessible by a gently sloping, paved walkway. However, vehicular access is limited to a parking area a few yards from the statue.

•New Holy Land Tour: This 2½-hour biblical teaching tour explores the ancient Middle Eastern culture in which Jesus was raised. Visitors meet characters from the time of Moses to the time of Christ. The Sea of Galilee, where Jesus walks on water, is one of 38 historically accurate exhibits created for the production.

Trams take visitors to each of the exhibits spread throughout the wooded hillsides of the Passion Play grounds. The tour is open on the same days as the play performances with departure times every 15 minutes beginning at 10 a.m. The last tour begins at 3:30 p.m. Space is limited, and reservations are required.

•Bible Museum: The Bible Museum highlights the Word of God with a compilation of more than 6,000 original Bibles, manuscripts and artifacts in 625 languages and dialects. It is one of the largest of its kind in the United States. Some of the important translations and historical exhibits include Coverdale's Bible, the first complete Bible translated into English; Greek New Testament published by Erasmus in 1516; original 1611 King James Version, a first addition "HE” Bible, so-called because of the typographical error in Ruth 3:15.

The museum is open the same days as the play performances, and admission is included with the purchase of a performance ticket or New Holy Land Tour pass. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (7 p.m. after Labor Day).

•Sacred Arts Center: From 18th-century woodcarvings and 17th-century paintings to exquisite ceramics and challenging modern-day images, the Sacred Arts Center contains a stunning collection of religious and inspirational art. The center's collection includes two- and three-dimensional art pieces in many diverse mediums, including original oils on canvas painted by early masters and 20th century artists.

It also has an important collection of original Christian-theme art by American artist Harry Antis. The series of 12 paintings is titled "A Man From Nazareth Named Jesus.”
The arts center is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (7 p.m. after Labor Day) the same days at the play is performed.

•Museum of Earth History: This museum features a collection of dinosaur fossils and focuses on the biblical account of the creation of Earth. It relays the biblical story of the Earth's beginnings by starting with the creation story in the book of Genesis in the Bible and continuing through the great flood to the tower of Babel to the global ice age.

On exhibit are more than 14 life-size skeleton skulls and fossil plates. All the skeletons in the museum are research replicas, highly detailed casts of the original fossils. Displays in the museum include Tyrannosaurus Rex, Triceratops and the Woolly Mammoth. These replicas are the same as those found in all major museums around the world, including the Smith- sonian.
Information boards throughout the museum explain the biblical perspective, along with a guided-audio tour via headphones. The museum strives to provide a scientifically plausible history of the Earth in relation to the Bible. The exhibits provide a blend of religion, history and science for viewers.

•Parables of the potter: Before each Passion Play performance, a potter shares how God shapes all things as he creates a piece of art. Standing before his wheel molding clay into form, the potter teaches from inspirational passages of the Scriptures, including Jeremiah 18.

•The Tabernacle tour: Join a "Levitical Priest” inside the Tabernacle as he explains the spiritual significance of the Tabernacle. The tour begins at 4:30 p.m. during the regular season.

•Church in the Grove: A favorite ceremony location for many wedding couples, the Church in the Grove is a quaint, vintage country church. Originally built more than 100 years ago in Eureka Springs, the church was relocated to The Great Passion Play grounds and restored in 1986.

•Berlin Wall: An original 10-foot-by-10-foot section of the Berlin Wall stands next to the Church in the Grove. When the wall came down, The Great Passion Play acquired this piece as a tribute to the spirit of all people who risk their lives to believe and practice their Christian faith.

Information courtesy of Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism