The recordings for The Passion in Drenthe are in full swing. The cast, including Milan van Waardenburg, Thomas van der Vlugt and Bas Ragas, will meet at various secret locations this week to play some scenes in advance.
Today, the Shakespeare Theater in Diever has been transformed into a film set. Reporter Josien Feitsma was allowed to look behind the scenes. “It is special to see how a location like the Shakespeare Theater suddenly becomes the setting for an immense production. I have often seen full benches here when the open-air theater is full of hundreds of people, but I have never seen it so full with only people from the crew. The parking lot alone is filled with catering trucks and technology vehicles.”
Milan van Waardenburg plays the role of Jesus and gets ready for today’s scene. He plays it in the Globe, the indoor theater on the grounds. “I wasn’t raised religiously myself,” he says.
“And my goal is to make Jesus as ‘normal as possible’. The whole story is sacred, the texts are sacred and literally come from the Bible and I try to bring that to myself as much as possible. It is an interesting process and a quest.”
The Passion live show is in Drenthe for the first time this year and, with the main location in Dwingeloo, also in a small village for the first time. The KRO-NCRV chooses to perform in various places in the municipality of Westerveld. But the broadcaster prefers to keep the locations secret for as long as possible.
Earlier, councilor Jacob Boonstra (CDA) said that he would like to show what the municipality of Westerveld has to offer, such as authentic villages, unspoiled nature in National Parks, and the cultural-historical UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Colonies of Benevolence.
The theme of The Passion 2026 is ‘Come Closer’. This theme gives a double meaning to the Easter story. This theme also fits seamlessly with the different locations that have been chosen.
The Passion 2026 will be broadcast live from Dwingeloo on April 2 at 8:30 PM on KRO-NCRV on NPO 1. The Passion Ascension will also be held in 2026 in the municipality of Westerveld.
