Every summer Jesus walks Alberta's badlands. He also makes appearances in Manitoba and Ontario. And just as when He first traveled the dusty trails of Judea, thousands of people gather to hear Him speak.

But instead of loaves and fishes, these folks bring lawn chairs and binoculars.

Of course it's not the real Jesus, but actors, each portraying the role of Christ in three increasingly popular outdoor plays depicting Christ's life for summertime audiences.

The Canadian Badlands Passion Play first launched in 1993 and this summer will feature six performances in the natural outdoor amphitheatre near Drumheller, Alberta.

"We have about 20,000 come to the site in the summer, about 16 or 17,000 come to the Passion play," says director and general manager Blaine McDonald.

The production itself has a cast of 200, and a live choir of between 300-400—all volunteers. McDonald estimates there are about 1,400 volunteers over the course of the summer when "everybody who comes for an hour to take tickets, right through to staff" is included.

Promise on the island
Thousands also attend "The Promise," held at the natural amphitheatre at the Esli Dodge Conservation area near Forest, Ontario. The musical production—it includes a choir, soloists and dancers—featuring a grandfather telling his grandchildren about the life of Christ. Launched in 1995, the two-hour performance now attracts an average of 3,000-4,000 people each year, although director Syd Fletcher estimates the hillside could easily seat 7,000.

"It's a fantastic site, the stage is set down on an island," he says.

Fletcher says he and a cast of about 180 "highly unpaid volunteers" come back year after year to put on the production "because we love the play and think that it brings happiness and a wonderful story to the population of Ontario."

Particularly noteworthy was two years ago when World Youth Day pilgrims billeted in nearby Sarnia came to a performance. "One night we had 3,500 people there on the hillside," Fletcher remembers. "It was quite an experience as they were waving their little flags from all over the world.

"They were enthralled with the production even though most of them could not speak English. During the crucifixion scene they moved toward the crosses, which are on the side of the hillside next to the audience, and got closer and closer. They just wanted to be part of the whole event."

Carpenter in the valley
Manitoba's original Passion play, "The Carpenter," is put on by Oak Valley Productions and relies on a volunteer base of up to 300 people, although only about 70 are actually on stage.

There are "a lot of different spiritual workings happening to pull this all together," says executive producer Richard Klassen. Many of the area denominations from United and Mennonite to Roman Catholic, Anglican, Baptist and Pentecostal are involved with the play.

"For the people involved it's been very encouraging and uplifting," he says. "It's unified a lot of people, which is great."

Klassen says the play, now in its fifth year, attracts an average of 4,500 each summer to the natural outdoor amphitheatre located northeast of La Riviere in the hills of the Pembina Valley.

"Our entire goal with ‘The Carpenter' is that we want to keep it intimate and personable, right from when people arrive," says Klassen. To facilitate that goal, Oak Valley has developed a meditation trail featuring 15 stations of the Way of the Cross. Each station commemorates a different aspect of Christ's Passion from condemnation to resurrection.

More than a performance
The Canadian Badlands Passion Play Society also provides play-goers with more than just a performance. They have been developing the site during recent years, creating a three-phase interpretive centre modeled after the Jerusalem Wall. The society has also commissioned 12 top Canadian artists to create a 120-foot long mural inside the centre, an artistic rendition of the history of the world according to Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation.

During the summer, the Alberta site also features a family festival in August and six other summer performances that play a total of 70 shows both outdoors and in an intimate 35-seat venue inside the interpretive center.

"Aside from the story [of the Passion], a lot of people come [to the venue] because it's such a big deal," says McDonald. "If there's 3,000 people coming several times over the summer, then it must be something to see. We really roll with that. We don't shy away from the spectacle.

"Our goal is to recreate the life of Jerusalem. Although the message is very contrary to those still waiting for the Messiah, a lot of Jewish people will come simply because of the research we've done into the life of ancient Judaism. Faiths of all kinds come. It's become culturally, artistically, economically something to do.

"There's a ministry element—even if you don't accept Christ on site, we're going to tell you about Him," says McDonald. "At the very least you're going to hear about His life and teachings. That is our core mandate—to artistically portray the life of Christ."

Movie after-effects
The directors say the popularity of Mel Gibson's movie The Passion of the Christ is bound to have some effect on the number of people who come to their performances.

"I think there's going to be some good and some negative come out of it," says Klassen. "There are a lot more people aware of the Passion, even in the local area. A lot of people would be interested in coming out."

But, he says, "There are also people who have had their fill of the ‘blood and gore and all this Passion stuff.' I think there will be both sides."

McDonald says the movie has had a positive impact on ticket sales for the Badlands play. "Overall the movie has created a sort of acceptability to talk about Christ in pop culture, where as Canadians we really didn't have that kind of freedom before."

But, he adds, the Badlands play is different from that of Gibson's epic, although they share a similar name.

"In large part, the movie is a different kind of story because it focuses on the last 12 hours, and majors on the suffering, where our goal is more [Jesus'] life and teachings," he says. "We make a big deal out of the resurrection. The whole focus is there. The work of the cross was essential, but really the truth or non-truth of our faith rests on the resurrection."

Seeker friendly
All three plays are big on using easy-to-understand language.

Klassen says the Manitoba play, an original script written by Sara Pasiciel, "kind of has a folk feel to it, the language used in the script is taken from the The Message. It's not Old King James. It's open to everybody. People can get a sense of what the story is all about."

If people have more questions after they see "The Carpenter," they can pick up a free New Testament from the Gideons who set up a tent on the grounds during the six performances.

McDonald says many of the people coming to the Badlands performances are seekers, or practice other religions.

"That is very cool because we're able to communicate not just what the Book says, what Christ says, but the passion that He came with," he says. "You're communicating the faith, not just the hard and fast details and the history of Christianity. You're conveying the heart of God."