Passion Trust


The Passion Trust is a British organization that supports the resurgence of Passion Plays in the United Kingdom. Passion Plays take place in over 30 different locations in the UK, each adapted to the local community and the volunteers who perform and produce the plays. Plays take place in local settings such as the ruins of Tonbridge Castle in front of hundreds of people, or in Rochester Prison in front of prisoners, or by the historic pier in Brighton.

History

The Passion Trust was established in 2011 to support Passion Plays taking place in the UK, and acts as a centre for resourcing, financing and equipping passion plays. It also advocates for public drama through local and national media.
Trustees and supporters of the Passion Trust are involved in projects that have taken Passion Plays to prisons in Louisiana and Scotland, to Cape Town and to Brazil as well as a number of other locations in the UK.
The Passion Trust hosts an annual conference attended by actors, arts practitioners, producers, directors, fundraisers and journalists.
It also disseminates information for people starting new Passion Plays or wanting to develop existing plays, including script-writing, fund-raising, working with local councils and engaging with local communities.

International Links

The Passion Trust connects UK Passion Plays with Europassion, a large European organisation that promotes Passion Plays in Europe. Established in 1982, this umbrella organisation draws together Passion Play communities from countries all over Europe, some of which have been performing their plays for hundreds of years. According to Mons. Fausto Panfili, the Chaplain of the Europassion:
The experience of the Europassion constantly lets us experience a so far unexplored pathway, so that we can continue to grow. Surmounting a self-referred vision of our own experience obligates us to confront a regional, national, European and universal horizon. That is why a new vision, not fragmentary, is necessary. Unity doesn’t mean uniformity. A spiritual energy, stronger and more attentive to cultural elaboration, a more evident solidarity in order to be recognised as bearers of hope, to help the people and communities grow.