The story
The play's roots trace to a Passion Play tradition from Lünen, Germany, first staged in 1242. Josef Meier, a seventh-generation performer, brought it to America in 1932 and made Spearfish its permanent home; the amphitheatre premiered in May 1939 and drew over 14,000 in its first season. Meier played the lead for decades, retiring in 1991 after roughly 9,000 performances. His daughter ran it through the final 2008 season. The amphitheatre — with a stage about two-and-a-half blocks long and a cast including mounted Roman soldiers and a camel — still stands, rebranded as "Lookout Amphitheater" for occasional concerts.
Everything that was here
- 1939–2008
Black Hills Passion PlayAmphitheatre
For 69 seasons, a German family who traced their Passion Play tradition to a 1242 monastery performed it nightly on what was billed as America's longest outdoor stage — before up to 6,000 spectators beneath Lookout Mountain.
See the map in 1940 →
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Connected places
Karl Ratzsch
John Ernst Cafe
Chicago Brauhaus
Zum Deutschen Eck
Golden Ox
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Nearby history
The Thoen Stone
D.C. Booth Historic National Fish Hatchery
Spearfish Historic Commercial District
Matthews Opera House
Burlington Spearfish Line
Homestake Hydroelectric Plant No. 1
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