Black Hills Passion Play, 1939

Joseph Meier Brings the Passion to America

In 1939, Spearfish, SD put itself on the map with the premier of the Black Hills Passion Play. The play evolved over the centuries from a passion play that was staged by the monks of the Cappenberg Monastery in Germany in the thirteenth century and was set on a hilly backdrop as a reminder of the Jerusalem hills where Jesus died. Actor Joseph Meier brought it to America in 1932, translated it from German into English, and performed it across America and Canada, playing the role of Jesus himself. The play quickly became popular and despite Meier's insistence on the play's historical basis, it attracted Jewish critics. They claimed that the play depicted Jesus as a clean-shaven man, contrasted with Jewish priests who were portrayed as ragged and bloodthirsty, creating a negative image of Jews. Despite controversy, the play has been one of the most successful of its kind and became an annual tradition, playing in Spearfish every summer. It adopted a winter home in Lake Wales, FL in 1953 that lasted until Hurricane Charlie destroyed its theater in 2004.