James burke dunsmore biography examples
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Playing Jesus
Christian Today
Each year, tens of thousands of people turn out to watch the Wintershall Estate's Easter Passion play in London's Trafalgar Square, and its open-air summer production, Life of Christ, in its beautiful Surrey grounds.
Portraying Jesus is one of the most challenging roles an actor can take on but it's what James Burke-Dunsmore has done for nearly a quarter of a century.
Now, he is preparing to play Jesus for the last time in this summer's run of Life of Christ at the Wintershall Estate from 21 to 25 June.
James speaks to Christian Today about the demands and rewards of the role - and why he returned to it year after year.
CT: The play was halted during the pandemic. How hard was that for you and the other cast and crew?
James: Just the day before we went into lockdown, the producer and I were in Trafalgar Square promoting our Easter production so it was right down to the wire and very late on in our rehearsals. That was hard because a lot of the actors have been producing these plays for as long as I have, around 25 years, and it's a pilgrimage of sorts because there is the Easter production and then the summer production and Christmas plays.
It's not just a play but a big part of our lives and our calendar - because perfor
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The rising popularity of Easter plays
Comment on the rising popularity in the UK of Easter passion plays, dramatizing the last week of Jesus’ life. Involving volunteers and professionals, the number of plays in towns and cities has grown from 10 to 80 in the past 10 years.
Alex Stewart-Clark, a trustee of the Passion Trust, which helps towns and cities put on plays throughout the UK:
Passion plays started in the 12th century because people were illiterate and this was a way of telling the story. Now church congregations are diminishing and this is a way of getting the story out there. When we started there were 10 plays in the UK, but the number has kept growing because they bring communities together and they are very powerful. Live theatre is the best entertainment when done well and people have told us they have been moved to tears when seeing the story enacted.
Ashley Herman – Wintershall Trustee & Director of Wintershall Plays, which puts on the passion play in Surrey and Trafalgar Square, London:
The Wintershall plays include a professional actor playing the part of Jesus, with a cast of volunteers. They have made a huge impact since they began in and the rise in popularity can be explained by a fascination with the Passion story. People are drawn into the live