Queensway Cathedral is proud to present the 16th anniversary of the Toronto Passion Play. Over the last decade, the play has grown in both size and reputation in the community. Over 240,000 people have seen the play and the numbers are increasing every year.

Based on the traditional Passion Plays first performed in the twelfth century, it is the historical re-enactment of the suffering , death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The first Passion Plays were performed in Latin but by the thirteenth century they began to include German. Over time, Passion Plays became very secular leading to ecclesiastical authorities forbidding their presentation. After the Counter Revolution, a few did survive, Oberammergau being one of them.

In 1634, the Bubonic Plague was sweeping through Germany. It killed over 15,000 residents of Munich. The villagers in Oberammergau prayed that they would be spared and they were. As a vow of gratitude to God, they performed the Passion Play that year and have continued to do so at the start of every decade to the present.

With a cast of 1,700, all participants must be natives of Oberammergau or have lived there for at least ten years. Performed in an out-door setting, people from all over the world travel to see this most famous of all the passion plays

With this in mind, Queensway Cathedral embarked on a journey 13 years ago, in 1993, to present The Toronto Passion Play. The Minister of Music at the time, Pastor Gary Hallberg, was the visionary who saw the possibilities of such an undertaking and how it would reach people from every nationality, religious denomination and background. The universal story of Jesus Christ has reached out and touched the hearts of many who have witnessed The Toronto Passion Play.

Fred Allin, a long-time member of the church, oversaw the design and construction of the first set in 1993. Dale Anderson embarked on the monumental task of assembling and creating the different costumes that would be needed. Many hands came on board to assist these individuals with painting and building the set and sewing costumes. A choreography team was put together under the leadership of Savitri Mungal, and an ensemble of talented singers was led by Catherine O'Brien. Halina Cleland managed the initial blocking of the characters and drama direction. Linda Pritchard handled the overall co-ordination of the people. One of the men who has played Jesus over the past number of years, Rick Lamb, started out as our first Sound Director.

The first person to play the role of Jesus was George Guasina, whose likeness is still seen on the posters and other items throughout the church. He played the role for a number of years before moving on. Through the years, the cast and crew have changed and grown but all are still volunteers who attend Queensway Cathedral on a regular basis.

As soon as Christmas is over, the men of the church begin growing beards for their participation in the Passion. Anna Lakatos and Jennifer Bodnar are two of the actors who started out playing the role of Lisa, and have grown and gone on to play the role of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Each of the young girls who plays Lisa are eyeing the coveted role of Mary for the future.

It is wonderful to see the emotional and spiritual growth of the participants throughout the years. Some who were terrified that first year experienced such a tremendous burst of confidence that they sign up again year after year.

The goal of The Toronto Passion Play is to bring glory and honour to the name of Jesus. An outflowing of that is the benefit to those participating and those attending the presentation

It is our hope that The Toronto Passion Play will continue for many more years as our vow of gratitude to God for all His goodness to us. The Toronto Passion Play is the ultimate way to recognize and celebrate the true meaning of Easter.