No real crucifixion in Buhing Kalbaryo to keep street passion play solemn — organizers
This an excerpt of the King Herod scene of the Buhing Kalbaryo during the press conference for the passion play on April 13, 2019. | Delta Dyrecka Letigio
CEBU CITY, Philippines — There will be no real crucifixion for the 22nd Buhing Kalbaryo street play on Good Friday, April 19, but the devotion will be very real.
Organizers of the Buhing Kalbaryo said this during a press briefing on Saturday night, April 13, of the passion play.
Niel Odchigue, the project director, said that they would not want to take away the attention of the public, who would be attending to watch the play, which would be a creative form of the Way of the Cross.
Odchigue said they would want to maintain the solemnity of the play by keeping out the mere curious audience who would only want to see a live crucifixion.
Despite this, he said the devotion would remain to be “real” and the 130 cast members would still be doing their “best” to portray the story to be as authentic as they could.
Read more: Buhing Kalbaryo: Alive and well
This year’s Buhing Kalbaryo will start at 10 a.m. on Good Friday, from the San Nicolas Parish and the crucifixion scene would be staged at the Espina Compound in Barangay Guadalupe.
Former Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, chairman and producer of the Buhing Kalbaryo since its establishment in 1997, said that the production this year cost at least P200,000 but would not go beyond P500,000.
“I always tell them (production) to be frugal because there is no aid from the city unlike when we were still in the position,” said Rama.
Rama said that he had high hopes for the play since it had evolved to be self-sufficient production and were “ever evolving” with the addition of millennial casts.
He said he hoped that the play would continue on in the hands of the new generation with the “energy and creativity” of the youth.
The Buhing Kalbaryo is a street play on the life and death of Jesus Christ and the organizers are expecting an audience of at least 3,000 for the presentation this Good Friday./dbs
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