Canadian Badlands Passion PlayMedia Kit 2014

Deep in the Canadian Badlands - a location famous for its pre-historic attractions - lies a hidden valley where the events of a not-so-distant past echo, a place where ancientIsrael is reborn and a dramatic portrayal of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is performed. Produced each summer by a nonprofit society and hundreds of volunteers, the Canadian Badlands Passion Play is the product of determined storytellers. The production is the result of countless hours offered by dedicated artists, and the support of a community which came together to nurture and care for it.

In the beginning, the community of Drumheller and surrounding area rallied to see through the endeavor. Countless hours were invested to transform the valley into an amphitheatre capable of holding up to thousands of people. The premiere season drew thousands of spectators and every show sold out. Plans were made to increase the seating capacity of the natural amphitheatre.

Around the world, a good story always draws a crowd, and this is the greatest story ever told. Word of the unique setting and a passionate troupe of dedicated storytellers and musicians has spread out from the Badlands like a prairie wildfire, attracting people from towns near by and countries far away. People come away declaring both the setting and performance to be heart-grabbing, regardless of faith or religious affiliation. For believers, it is often part of an annual pilgrimage tradition.

As the audiences grew, so too did the facilities that welcomed them and drew them into an ancient world: a massive wall reminiscent of the gates around Jerusalem eventually

sealed off the valley and formed a gateway between two worlds; Bedouin tents sprang up; a tomb was carved into the set; and the backstage area was developed to hold a growing cast of people and animals. The stage was developed to meet the growing needs of a flourishing script. With more room to work, new scenes could be added andnew stories became ripe for exploration.

Behind every great production, and at the root of the tree of creativity and opportunity, lies inspiration. That inspiration drew amateurs and professionals from around the country, prompted choirs to begin dedicated rehearsals to the music, created a summer school for teen actors and mobilized a large volunteer force ready to host the annual event.

Like the tree that thrusts its gnarled roots into the rocky edge of this valley, the Canadian Badlands Passion Play is an unlikely miracle. The Canadian Badlands Passion Play has been named one of North America’s Top 100 Events, as well as Alberta’s Top Cultural Attraction, won the Alto Award for “Alberta Pride” and has become a highlight of Western Canadian cultural tourism. In 2014, the event expanded to offer a third weekend for the first time, as it will continue to do to meet the need of a loyal and loving audience.

Canadian Badlands Passion PlayThe Canadian Badlands Passion Play is an unique theatrical and spiritual event worldwide, combining a stunning natural location with an engaging portrayal of Christ’s life to tell the “greatest story ever told.” It is the world’s only Passion Play which intentionally breathes new life annually with a new script, cast, and set - all purposefully designed so that each audience member might encounter Jesus within the cultural, geographical and historical setting of his life.

FaCts & stats

SELECTED RECENT AWARDS

• 2014 North America’s Top 100 Events, American Bus Association• 2013 Pride of Alberta Tourism Alto Award• 2009-2012 Alberta Tourism Award Finalist• 2007 Top Ten Attractions in Canada, Attractions Canada

AUDIENCE STATS

• The CBPP has been witnessed by over 250,000 people. In the last five years alone, the CBPP has attracted over 50,000 visitors.

• On average, 60% of attendees who experience the Passion Play are return visitors.

• An outstanding average 75% of attendees are from Alberta, with gueststraveling from as far as Africa, Europe and Asia.

2014 DATES & TICKETS

• Evening Performances (6pm): July 11, 12, 18, 25, 26• Afternoon Performances (3pm): July 13, 19, 20, 27• Tickets range $43-$63 for Adults. Special rates for youth and seniors.• Tickets available online (canadianpassionplay.com/tickets), via phone (1-

888-823-2001), or at the door ($5.00 fee per ticket)

FAST FACTS

• The Canadian Badlands Passion Play site is 30 acres of unparalleled natural beauty in the Alberta badlands, culminating in a stage the size of six football fields and a 2,700 seat natural amphitheatre.

• One of the only Passion Play’s in the world not sponsored by a specific church, but rather a broad base of believers and community members.

• To produce the CBPP each year takes the equivalent of 14 full time, year-round staff.

• Over 40 theatrical professionals are contracted for the production from May to July.

• The play features 200 actors ranging from professional to first-time perform-ers to professional theatre practitioners to produce one of Canada’s largest theatrical events.

• Over 500 volunteers contribute to the production each year, making it the largest volunteer-driven production in Alberta, and one of the biggest in Can-ada with more the 45,000 volunteer hours annually.

• The Canadian Badlands Passion Play is largely an Albertan effort, including hundreds of Albertan artists and performers, and featuring an Albertan play-wright and Albertan composer.

• The production is funded by ticket sales (50%), grants and donations.

2014 Crew

EXECUTIVEExecutive Director - Vance Neudorf

DIRECTION

Lead Director - Barrett HilemanAsst. Director/Script Coordinator - Royal SprouleAsst. Director/Crowd Director - Jessica HIckmanAsst. Director/Fight Director - Kevin RobinsonMuscial Director - Bill HammDirector Asst. - Samantha Showalter

PRODUCTIONProduction Director - Adrian YoungProduction Manager - Justin BornProduction Assistant - Denise LinesVolunteer Coordinator - Meg ThatcherCompany Liaison - Alisa BirnieShow Design Coordinator - Randall WiebeHead of Props/Props Build Team - Stephen BensonProps Assistant/Scenic Artist - Jenna PurnellCarpenter Asst - David ImioloArmoury Supervisor/Props Asst. - Frances Girard

WARDROBEHead of Wardrobe - Melissa MitchellWardrobe Asst./Cast Facilitator - Devon HunterWardrobe Asst. - Shannyn DowsettWardrobe Asst. - Lyndall CaveWardrobe Asst. - Amy McIver

STAGE MANAGEMENTStage Manager - Steph LinkAsst. Stage Manager - Jenn BestAsst. Stage Manager - Alana FreistadtJr. Asst. Stage Manager - Laura CheverieApprentice Stage Manager - Moriah OhlhauserChild Chaperone - Sienna Holden

MUSIC & SOUNDComposer/Sound Designer - Luke ErtmanHead of Sound/Sound Engineer - Tim UniacSound Assistant/Playback Operator - Chloe MohanSound Apprentice - Linden Dahler

CORE CAST

Jesus - Aaron KrogmanUS Jesus - Thompson Duff Young Jesus - Blake Regehr Old Man - Brian JensonThomas - Nick FrereSimon Peter - Harry ContosPhilip - Greg LammimanJohn - Kevin CambridgeJame Alpheus - Darrell FriesenAndrew - Zach HabermehlSimon the Zealot - Carter BanksNathanael - Joel WashingtonJames Zebedee - Braeden MeckelborgThaddeus - Travis BurgessJudas - Stephen Ellerbeck

SELECTED ENSEMBLEJesus Mother (Mary) - Charmaine CantosCaiaphas - Tim BerlandoShekem - Spencer GroenenboomRueben - Rod NorthcottAnnas - Rick BorgerSadducees - Bob Jesse, Hector Garcia, Stanley Riegel Laban - Walter Albrecht

ENSEMBLE CONTINUED

Lamech - Dustin WinterLevi - Merrell DickieEliezar - Bob ClarkeAbner - Kaeley StorsJoseph of Arimathea - Micah Kozak Nicodemus - Michael FletcherMor - Sarah AnnaMami - Damaris TonnerAdam - Vicki BlackAdara - Shalayne LammimanAdena - Carrie MorrisonAdulterous Woman - Christina Muldoon Adva - Norma BrickerBrazilian Woman - Mariana Jesuino Bread Boy - Adam Lammiman Carbus - Vicki FriesenChild in Blue - Anjala SpillerEden - Emily BoyleEnosh - Russell ClarkeEnosh’s Parents - Darell & VIcki Friesen Invalid - Travis BurgessJames Joseph - Andrew Merrigan John the Baptist - Andrew Merrigan Josiah of Bethany - Bob Clarke

ENSEMBLE CONTINUED

Lazarus - Alex HartMartha - Joy RobinsonMary Mag - Jennifer PoopeMary Wife of Cleopas - Elaine HilemanNoah - Andrew MerriganOld Bina - Helen NorthcottRoyal Official - Jody OhlhauserSamaritan - Susan Backs

The complete cast of the 2014 Canadian Badlands Passion Play features over 200 performers.

For full cast & crew bios and information, please re-view the 2014 program, available online here.

2014 Cast

What’s New for the 21st Season?

The Canadian Badlands Passion Play is the only production of its kind in the world to continually develop new creative elements like scripts, compositions, and staging each year - breathing new life into each annual production. The big-gest change for 2014 though, is that the Passion Play has added a third weekend of performance for the first time, meaning there are more chances than ever to enjoy the production.

Not only does this mean more shows, but also more time. Actors are now dedicat-ing more time than ever - for some the majority of their summer will be spent in the badlands. And yet, the cast is gathering again right now to prepare.

Executive Director, Vance Neudorf, chalks it up to a ‘restless pursuit of excellence’ among the artists. The constant changes to increase production value levels and improve the performer’s experience have caused an explosion of popularity in the last five years - more than 50,000 have attended since 2008. Ultimately, since most of the show’s success comes from word of mouth advertising, the changes are pursued to make an impact with the audience.

The Canadian Badlands Passion Play has many stories to tell about the work that goes into telling the ‘greatest story ever told’. There are performers of all ages groups (some as families), all with connections to local cities throughout Alberta, and all with unique perspectives on the production and personal reasons for participating.

2014 stories

Stories of the Storytellers

If you’re from the Drumheller area, you head home after a long day. If you’re not, you return to the Passion Play campground, where you remain in a community with your fellow performers each weekend. Some stay there anyway, just for the fun of it. It’s the life of a Passion Play performer. Many participate with the entire family. Some make a ritual of it, and come back year after year. The most notable of these volunteers, is perhaps Walter.

Walter is 78 years old. He lives in Drumheller. He has participated in every single season of the Canadian Badlands Passion Play - he would point out that the only year he did not perform was the first year, because he had a broken leg. That’s over 100 performances. After 20 years, he has learned some things about the character of the community, the joy of performance, and the power of the Play.

You could also talk to Brian Jenson (Old Man), one of the 40 theatre professionals employed at the Passion Play. Brian is a Betty Mitchell Award nominee and regular in the Calgary film and television community. It’s clear that Passion Play is more than a ‘gig’ to Brian, and his reflections on the spirituality and humanity on display may challenge the stereotypical view.

Over 35,000 hours are volunteered each year by volunteer cast and crew.

2014 stories

The Fifth Element - Mother Nature

Mother nature has impeccable timing.

She is there to bring the laughs in the climactic moment when Lazurus is to emerge from the tomb to face Jesus but a gopher runs out instead or when a stone-faced Roman soldier is forced to deliver deadly dialogue with a star-hun-gry seagull perched on his helmet.

She is there to halt the rain moments before the show begins and produce a momentous rainbow.

She is there to set the scene with awe-inspiring sunsets and cover the stage in mist so thick it looks like curtains.

Fluke or otherwise (and we suspect otherwise), the Canadian Badlands Passion Play has only had to cancel two shows due to weather in over 115 performance over 20 years. Every actor has their own legendary saga about the outdoor elements, but the show (almost) always goes on. In fact, the environment is the Passion Play’s most valuable player.

Alberta Enterprise

One of the Passion Play’s most recent honours was the 2013 Alto award for “Pride of Alberta Tourism”. It was especially poignant for the Passion Play team because of the huge amount of Alberta talent represented in the show. The playwright, directors, and composer are all Albertans, and the cast and crew are largely from Alberta as well.

Extending those Alberta roots even further, is that fact that the majority of the audience is Albertan - something unusual for Passion Plays of this kind interna-tionally. The Passion Play is another example of a common theme developing for large-scale national events held in Alberta (ie: Calgary Stampede, Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo, Edmonton Fringe Festival): there is a larger-than-average local audience. There is much to be learned about the Alberta audience - one of the most engaged audiences in the country and world for local arts and culture events. Is it that the world has yet to notice the work produced in Alberta? Is it that Albertans are creating for an Albertan sensibility? Or is it that regional events are so spoiled with audience attendance that they haven’t had to market elsewhere to remain sustainable?

On average, 75% of the Canadian Badlands Passion Play audience is from Alberta.

The Passion Play’s success is due to audience members spreading the word, including media representatives who attend the production and share their experiences through their respective media outlets. Our media team is on standby to facilitate customized media experiences to suit individual needs. For more information on these stories and more, please connect with our media relations team.

Media inForMationvisit www.CanadianPassionPlay.CoM/MediaContaCt: alex KingCott, CoMMuniCations P: 403.554.7368 e: alex@shareworthy.Ca