The Adeje Good Friday street performance, ‘La Pasión’, depicting the last days and death of Jesus Christ, with over 300 participants, returns to the town’s Calle Grande this Good Friday, April 7th, following a long break due to the pandemic. Last year the producers opted for a hybrid, with a feature film shot around Adeje, leading to the final live scene in the Plaza España. That film will be screened tomorrow, April 5th, in the new Adeje Auditorium - entry is free but you do need to reserve tickets in advance either in person in the Cultural Centre or via email, text cultura@adeje.es.
Under the direction of Abraham Gómez, with co-ordination and production by Alberto Álvarez and artistic director Conrado Díaz, the productions is a major operation, with teams working on stage and scene building along the Calle Grande, costumiers, make-up personnel, and the sound and vision teams that will also offer the public a live broadcast of the event either on Radio Sur, 13 Television, Canal 4 Television, TV Canarias and Mirame Television.
The production lasts just under two hours, beginning at midday in the Plaza de la Cruz del Llano, with the Last Supper. As the story unfolds the action moves up the Calle Grande, with scenes including the court of Pontius Pilate, Herod meeting with Judas, the Garden of Gethsemane, and ending with the crucifixion in the Plaza España. This year Jesus is played by professional actor Ignacio de La Lastra, the part of Mary, his mother, by Ana Oneida Borges Medina, and Mary Magdalene is played by Ania González.
This year another change is the introduction of a new scene, where Jesus expels merchants from the temple, telling all “My house will be called a house of prayer”.
The production of this major event has taken months of preparation, days and nights of rehearsals, bringing together a community of local actors and technicians. As in previous years a casting was held to fill the main and secondary parts, with Judas Iscariot played by José Antonio Sánchez Fernández, temple leaders by Roberto Melo López and Nicolás Tenías, Peter by Sergio Vargas, Pilate is played by Raúl de Castro, Claudia by Mónica Panizzi.
Music has also always played an important part in the evolution of the productions, with now famous singers such as Jorge de Leon, Agoney Hernández and Ainhoa Aguilar taking part through the years.
This street theatre began as a small community project back in 1996, and has grown, with the support of the Adeje council, over the years into what is now recognised as an integral part of Adeje’s culture, and a very important part of the tourist offer during Easter Week too for the destination. In recent years the event has also been broadcast live regionally and nationally.
Each year the council have also been assisted by the Librea de Valle Guerra association.
