Passion Play by Rise Theatre, UK Tour: St. Monica’s RC Church, 1 Stonard Road, London | 11 March 2026, Touring Until 4 April 2026 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by Mary-Ellen Dyson

Photo credit: The Walters Art Museum

Passion Play

by Rise Theatre, UK Tour: St. Monica’s RC Church, 1 Stonard Road, London | 11 March 2026, Touring Until 4 April 2026

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by Mary-Ellen Dyson

“A whistle-stop tour of the Gospel”

How do you make a passion play for the 21st century? Rise Theatre has an answer.

The first difficulty is creating a passion play that, in our decreasingly Christian culture, still speaks to people who know nothing about the Bible. Rise Theatre have effectively surmounted this challenge. Rather than focusing exclusively on the Passion and Resurrection, Rise Theatre whisks us through key events of Jesus’ life and works, including the Wedding Feast at Cana, the healing of Bartimaeus and the conversion of Zacchaeus, to name but a few. You do not need to know anything about Christianity to experience this passion play to the full. This is a great dramatic achievement, and Rise Theatre should be applauded for it.

The second difficulty is squaring the ever-increasing costs of production with a format that is traditionally spectacular, elaborate, and thronging with people. Rise Theatre recognise that they cannot achieve this spectacle without compromising their ability to share this story with the world. They go in the opposite direction, stripping the production back completely. Three actors perform twenty-three roles between them, exercising their full range throughout. There is no lighting, and lines are declaimed without amplification. Tone-setting music only punctuates the show occasionally, operated by an onstage actor via remote control. Costumes are minimal, just enough to distinguish the characters. This stripped-back approach makes Rise Theatre’s offering distinctive. Most importantly, it was successful; combined with the one-hour runtime, the minimalism enhanced their achievement of a back-to-basics retelling of Jesus’ life, a whistle-stop tour of the Gospel.

Rise Theatre have maintained the tradition of the passion play whilst making it relevant for a modern audience. This is a laudable achievement.

Rise Theatre’s Passion Play is touring UK churches throughout March. Large-scale outdoor performances will be held at Orchard Centre, Didcot on Saturday 28th March 2026, and in Forbury Gardens, Reading on Friday 3rd and Saturday 4thApril 2026​.

Cast

Daniel Woolley as Jesus

Katie Coen

Devauntay Hunter

Photo credit: The Walters Art Museum, acquired by Henry Walters. Used under a Creative Commons Zero licence.