Panel Discussion of the Edinburgh Passion Play 2025: Behold the Man

Join Suzanne Lofthus (Director), Dr Sarah Parkhouse (Manchester), Rev Donald Smith (Scottish Storytelling Centre), Prof Rachel Muers (Edinburgh), Dr Shadaab Rahemtulla (Edinburgh) and Prof Helen Bond (Edinburgh) to discuss this year’s Edinburgh passion play performed by Cutting Edge Theatre.

We’ll ask about the role of passion plays today: what’s it like to stage such a huge event? How malleable are Jesus traditions? and can they be made relevant to modern and local concerns (gender relations, poverty, hope, inclusion etc). How does the play speak to modern anxieties over masculinity? And does the play work as a piece of public theology?