The Penn Stater Magazine

A Trip to Oberammergau

April 6, 2010 at 4:03 pm Tina Hay 3 comments

A story in Sunday’s Philadelphia Inquirer caught my eye—it’s about the little town in Bavaria called Oberammergau that, once every 10 years, puts on a massive production of the Passion play. The townspeople have been doing it since the 1600s, and they’re doing it again in 2010.

It’s of special interest to me because the Alumni Association is offering a trip to France and Germany in July, culminating with a performance of the famed Oberammergau Passion Play—and because I’m lucky enough to be able to go along.

The trip will be hosted by two faculty members in Penn State’s history and religious studies department, Sophie de Schaepdrijver and Ronnie Hsia. (I heard Sophie speak at one of our Huddle with the Faculty programs a year or so ago and was fascinated by her research on World War I.) Sophie and Ronnie will be lecturing along the way about the areas we’re visiting—besides Oberammergau, the trip includes several days each in Paris, Strasbourg, and Würzburg. (Want to join us? It’s probably not too late to sign up.)

I’ll be taking many, many photos; keeping a blog; and possibly bringing back a story for the magazine.

Tina Hay, editor

NEXT: The Season of Oberammergau is Here

Entry filed under: Alumni Association, College of the Liberal Arts, Penn State faculty, The Penn Stater magazine. Tags: Bavaria, Huddle with the Faculty, Oberammergau, Passion play, Ronnie Hsia, Sophie de Schaepdrijver.