In the small settlement of Heves, Mikófalva, a passion play was presented for the first time in Hungary. The actors were the inhabitants of the village.
The residents of Mikófalva staged the last moments of Jesus' life with such experience and humility that professional actors and foreign journalists traveled to the village of Heves for the performance.
On the hill above the village, engineers were commissioned to design the auditorium and the locations for the play. Micófalvi canvas was used to bring the biblical locations to life, on which the scenery of each location was painted. The backdrops used for the scenes in Jerusalem were borrowed from the Opera House. When creating the costumes, the designers drew on several sources. According to the recollections of the villagers, Mihály Munkácsy: Christ before Pilate c. the clothes shown in his picture also served as a model when designing the visuals of the piece.
One of the keys to the success of the show was the casting. In the winter of 1921, the villagers were called to school. Director Pál Fejős selected the main actors. The most difficult thing was finding the impersonator of Judas, since being a deeply religious village, no one wanted to play the role of a traitor. The main text roles were played by 25-30 people from Mikófalvi. The other participants – then two hundred – worked as extras in the crowd scenes.
According to a reminiscence, many people usually came to the passion games, which is also indicated by the size of the auditorium. The five-thousand-seat auditorium was carved into the hillside. A lot of cubists worked on the design of the seats and the stage. They brought wood from a wagon and made the seats out of it. The canteen was in a large barn, order was supervised by hussars. The Passion Plays were played from May to September 1922. The performances started at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
The people of Mikófalva still remember the passion play with great affection. Their secret dream is to revive the show.
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