Upcoming 'Seven Scenes of the Passion' a church-wide effort
More than 130 people from Berlin's United Dayspring Church put their talents together every other year to present “Seven Scenes of the Passion” Friday through Sunday, March 22-24.
Visitors will see the seven scenes leading up to and surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus during the hourlong reenactment.
Prepare for the Easter holiday by celebrating with United Dayspring Church, located at 4855 state Route 39 in Berlin, while visiting the “Seven Scenes of the Passion” Friday through Sunday, March 22-24.
With more than 130 people from the church volunteering their time to put on the presentation, visitors will see the seven scenes leading up to and surrounding the crucifixion of Jesus during the hourlong, indoor live reenactment.
Attendees in groups of 25-30 will be taken on a guided tour through the busy streets of Jerusalem and the temple courtyard in search of Christ and his disciples while witnessing the sadness and confusion of his followers in the upper room. They will see Pilate and a Roman guard admit to crucifying Jesus, and eventually, the crowd will make its way to an empty tomb, all along the way never getting to see Christ in the flesh but instead experiencing exactly what it would have been like in the days leading up to the resurrection.
“Each scene stop lasts for about 10 minutes, with the entire walk-through lasting about an hour,” said Richard Ropp, chairman of the event. “The first scene is when Jesus came into Jerusalem, and each person will get a handful of coins to spend at the scenes. They will run into beggars and be able to buy fruit and other snacks along the way. But then the tax collector will take all of your coins at the end.
“The marketplace is full of vendors. We have a garden scene that is completely black where you see stars and also a cross scene with three 12-foot wooden crosses. We have even built a room inside of a room and an angel appears. At every scene you just miss Jesus, and you are always looking for him, but you never get to see him.”
Started in 1998, the church performs the “Seven Scenes of the Passion” every other year because of the intense amount of work that goes into putting the production on. There was a 10-year hiatus because it was so difficult to find enough volunteers to make the event a success, but now it has been done every other year consecutively and Dayspring is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the performances this year. Actors start rehearsing and set production begins in January, just so everything will be perfect by the end of March for the presentation, Ropp said.
Children will even get a kick out of the live animals that are used during the seven scenes.
“This is not your typical sit-down auditorium-style show where you watch a play,” Ropp said. “You actually walk through it and participate. The last time we did it, our actors performed 71 times. They are exhausted by the time it is over. We build walls in the gym, and we have some live animals in the scenes too. It's just a unique experience to be a part of.
“A few years ago, some people came that just happened upon it off of our Facebook page because they were looking for something to do, and they were not expecting anything like it. They were so surprised. I know we have a few people coming all the way from Iowa even. Nobody will be disappointed by what they witness — that’s for sure.”
Attendees may have to wait a short time to begin the “Seven Scenes of the Passion,” but entertainment will be provided. Admission is free.
Performances of the “Seven Scenes of the Passion” will be held Friday, March 22 from 6:30-9 p.m.; Saturday, March 23 from 3-8 p.m.; and Sunday, March 24 from 1-5 p.m. For more information visit the church’s Facebook page (United Dayspring Church Berlin) or call 330-204-6601 or 330-204-6602.