In November it was announced that the Passion Play was closing forever. Randall Christy, President of The Gospel Station Network came to Eureka Springs on Dec 21 and met with members of the Passion Play Board and the bank that holds the note on the facilities and the 670+ acres owned by the Passion Play. The bank made it very clear that in order to stop foreclosure proceedings, $75,000 would have to be deposited with them by Dec 31st. Christy decided to take this challenge on, and in 10 days, with contributions from local businesses and hundreds of individuals from all over the U.S., the money was raised, and the foreclosure was stopped.
“We have crossed the first hurdle, but now we have a mountain to climb to raise the funds to get this worthy project off the ground, renovated, and improved,” Christy said. At a press conference held at the Passion Play Amphitheater on Thursday Jan 3rd, Christy announced several major changes and future plans. “Today we are launching a 6 million dollar capital improvement campaign to bring these facilities up to date, to put coverings in place to shade the amphitheater, to improve the display of the fabulous artwork and biblical antiquities, to repair and give the set a facelift, to put in an RV park, and many more things that need to be done including securing the financial future of the Passion Play.” Christy said.
One of the things that will be changing will be the ticketing packages, which will be more affordable for families, and for people who want to experience all the features of the Passion Play, like: The Bible Museum, where a person can see an authentic First Edition First Print of the King James Bible in mint condition and many other antique bibles of historical value; and the Sacred Art Museum, the Tabernacle replica of the Old Testament Tabernacle, The Holy Land Bible Tour, The Parable of the Potter, David the Shepherd. There will be ONE PRICE for the entire Passion Play Experience…which will be good for two days.
Many other positive changes will be noticed by visitors this year and even more next year.
People are still giving, and funds are still coming in from people who believe that the Passion Play is worth saving. As a part of this campaign, we have launched today a “Save a Seat” campaign where people can donate $250 or more and have a permanent engraved name plate mounted to a seat in this historic outdoor theater. Also today we have launched ticket sales for Opening Weekend May 2013 for less than half price. This opening price will be available to purchase only through the month of January, for Opening Weekend of the Passion Play.
“The Passion Play has brought millions of people to Eureka Springs over the years, and we want to see this happen again, and are excited about the future,” said Mike Bishop, Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce Director.
To buy tickets, participate in the Save a Seat Campaign, or buy Passion Play merchandise go to www.greatpassionplay.org
To DONATE to the Save the Passion Play campaign go to www.thegospelstation.com
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