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An Open Air play at Wintershall, Surrey On a bright sunny morning in June 2001 about 40 of us from St George's Church, Waterlooville went by coach to this beautiful estate, where the play was to be performed against the natural rural scenery of the county. There was a cast of over 200 players, also the 3rd year children from the Duke of Kent's School, Ewhurst, and many others who made up the cast. We made an early start, leaving St George's Church at 8.am under a clear blue sky, and as most of us had never seen it before or even knew the location it was like the start of a mystery tour. We soon left the motorway and took to the leafy lanes around Guildford. I remembered these from my youth, as in those days it was through these lanes that the main road to Portsmouth ran long before dual carriageways, roundabouts and motorways were thought about, and char-a-bangs, as coaches were called then, had loose covers which had to be erected should it rain and 25 mph was often the speed limit. The villages of Bramley and Wonesh were the two I remembered, it was like going down memory lane seeing them still nestling in the foliage of the grand woodland scenes of the quiet countryside. The coach now turned down an even narrower lane and moved like a great leviathan making its way to a vast opening in the woods and we had arrived at Wintershall Farm. Here we left the coach taking all our belongings needed for the day. We now set out, rather laden and began the walk through fields and woods to where this great spectacle was to take place. There were fields to cross, more woods with their wonderful shade on a hot morning, hills to climb, until we came to a small river which was to be used as the River Jordan and the Sea of Gallilee, after another climb we emerged to our natural viewing point of Act I. Many people had arrived already and we were there about an hour before the play was to begin and people kept coming, the top of the hill was full and getting crowded but there was room for everyone and even when the play began there were still crowds coming to join the throng. As we waited sitting on the grass, quite a few of the cast passed on up the hill and over the top from where the play was to start. They were all dressed in the costumes of the times, mothers with their children of all ages, a donkey went by led by a shepherd, a few sheep, men on horseback and others making their way to take part in the production, and still people streamed up the hill to watch. But now it was time to start at 10.am. The microphone crackled, there was an immediate silence from the thousands who had come to watch, and St Luke who was to be the narrator of the whole play told us about the first act. He told us about a young girl who through the power of the Holy Spirit, would bear the son of God on earth, which we know now was the beginning of Christianity and so the play began with the visitation of the Archangel Gabriel to Mary. The narrator told us of her early life, of Joseph her husband and how they had come to Bethlehem to register their names in Judea. Now it was late and all was still in the countryside when over the hill appeared a donkey which carried Mary with Joseph at her side making their way to the old stable. Mary was tired, the little town of Bethlehem was full and they could go no further, but they were no better off here, again being refused shelter, but pressed by Joseph and told of Mary's condition, the woman offered them the stable and became more helpful and so they were settled in at last. There was a new star in the heavens and the local people thought it meant that the long awaited Messiah had arrived and had something to do with the babe in the stable who was born in the night. The shepherds left their flocks and found Mary and Joseph with the baby in the manger and fell on their knees to worship. The news travelled fast and soon many others came including three wise men or kings as they have become known, to find out more about the awaited Messiah, and when they saw the child fell on their knees and presented their gifts of gold, incense and myhrr. Life was not going to be easy for Mary, as when the news reached Herod he was afraid and made a decree that the first male-born child in Judea must be killed and sent soldiers to do just this. Now the lovely quiet scene of the stable was raided by soldiers on horseback with swords killing as they went. Mary and Joseph with the child fled into Egypt, while the wise men returned to their own countries by another route. All this was narrated by St Luke, and acted by the cast. Time passed and Jesus grew to a young boy when he was taken to the temple by his parents, but they lost him and grew worried when he did not return. We saw him talking to men in the temple while Mary and Joseph searched for him calling him by name. They came back to the Temple where they found him there and told him how worried they had been, but he only said, "Did you not know I was about my father's business?" We now left our view point on the hill and took ourselves and our possessions to see Act II. Here we sat on a hillside overlooking the stream with a vast crowd of people to watch the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. Jesus, now a grown man was about to set out to teach further away from his home, he had disciples now who left their work and homes to follow him and help in his work of teaching and preaching. He told many parables and performed miracles which attracted many people to listen to him and now wanted the news to be told further afield, in this the disciples would help. John the Baptist was a striking figure, just as you imagined him living alone in the desert, baptising people and trying to tell the people about Jesus and to follow him. He did baptise Jesus which was immaculately acted in the stream that ran along the bottom of the hill, and also narrated by St Luke. The scene then merged on another stage higher up from the river. Here many of the cast were walking about with their children and friends, while the Wedding at Cana took place just off stage, but the bottles for the wine were placed outside the entrance to the wedding. It was all so realistic - Mary finding him in the crowds and telling him of the difficulties of the wine and that there was only water left. This was the first of his miracles "Turning water into wine" so the wedding could carry on before the guests knew of the trouble. The crowd scenes were so natural, the cast walking about on this vast stage with their friends and children playing near the river. The disciples were following and listening to his words when they came across the woman who was about to be stoned for adultery and when asked what should be done for her, he said "Love one another" and "He who has never sinned should cast the first stone." The accusers drifted away and the woman flung herself at his feet as he quietly said, "Go and sin no more." Then came the scene of the "Sermon on the Mount", a parable of the Loaves and Fishes to feed the crowds who were now following him. This was a delightful scene of bread being found in the baskets which the disciples had collected being broken and handed to the clamouring hands of the crowd, even the audience were included and all who wanted got a piece, and there was still some left. This was the end of Act II and the audience took a break and had their picnic lunch. An amusing incident happened to me sitting on the ground, a large ripe plum rolled down and stopped at my feet, I picked it up and ate it! I'm sure it was the sweetest plum I have ever eaten. After the interval Jesus was teaching his followers as they listened to his preaching of "Love one another", telling parables and performing other miracles on his way when he came to the Temple but found it was now turned into a Trading Centre with tables full of rubbish which was being sold to the people at a high price, and even a money exchange was there, he was so angry when he found he could not speak to the people that he strode through the Temple and broke all the tables throwing them upside down and departed. Act III. Now the Jewish priests and other Elders of the Temple were jealous of Jesus, and the crowds who followed him were getting bigger, their love and respect for him was growing so something had to be done, and we were now to see how they set about this. His Apostles were frightened when he said he would go to Jerusalem, but he did go, riding on a donkey. This was a splendid affair with the whole crowd of the cast following with palms waving and singing, they made their way through the audience to the track above and eventually came back to the stage to complete a circle. It was inspiring. The next scene was the Last Supper when Jesus told Peter that before the cock crowed he would deny him thrice and Peter denied it, and they went to the Garden of Gethsemane. They were all tired after the day's celebrations. Jesus left them to keep watch during the night while he went on his own to pray. But Judas had betrayed him, and the Apostles slept, Jesus returned to find them asleep. They awoke and the guards came and took Jesus to stand his trial by the Jewish priests and Roman Government. We now returned to our place on the hill, which we had left to see the procession, and watched the so called trial. It was so real. He was tortured and condemned to death. The scourging, fortunately for the audience was only heard and not seen, but the man that was dragged out was a masterpiece of "make up". He was a wreck, most of his garments gone, a crown of thorns on his head, and a face covered in blood. It was horrific. The disciples were distraught, running in all directions and denying that he was their friend. Peter slunk off on his own and the cock did crow. The cast now made their way back to the top of the hill through the woods following Jesus carrying and staggering under the cross with the mob jeering, soldiers and the guard shouting and the crowd joining in. They eventually reached the scene of the crucifixion. This was all acted and narrated exactly as reading from the Bible. The vast audience, the performance of the cast and the reading by St Luke made it all very real. The crucifixion was then performed with all solemnity, too real for me - I could not look. After some time we moved away across the hill to see the tomb where Jesus was laid, here Mary Magdalen came but found it empty. She was so upset that she thought the man standing by the tomb was a gardener until he told her not to touch him, but go to the apostles and tell them she had seen him and to go to their room in Jerusalem where he would come to them. We then went through the wood on the other side of the hill where we found the two disciples on the road to Amaas. They were very frightened and talked about what had happened in Jerusalem when they were joined by another man who told them to go back to Jerusalem and then seemed to disappear. This they decided to do and found the other disciples and only then did they realize they had seen the risen Christ. Now we moved on to the last scene where the stream represented the Sea of Gallilee with disciples fishing again and as we walked along through the woods we passed Judas hanging on a tree, and then saw and heard Jesus calling to the men in the boat. They had a poor catch and were coming in, but he told them to cast their net on the other side, this they did and came up with nets so full of fish they could scarcely get it into the boat. They knew now who the man was and quickly brought the boat in and carried their catch ashore where there was a fire for them to cook their supper. Finishing on this lovely note of peace and goodwill we made our way silently to where we had left the coach in the morning, was it this morning? It felt like a lifetime ago, to reflect on what we had seen and heard in a wonderful production of The Life of Christ. Ruby Bullock |
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page last updated 30 SEPTEMBER 2001 |
