It's been five years since Durban's last Passion Play, the latest production of which opened yesterday, and it will be five more years until the next. This is the agreement reached 63 years ago between the community of Oberammergau in Bavaria and Durban's Catholic Players' Guild, although intervals between performances have varied in the past.In Oberammergau, the play was first performed in 1634 and is now performed every year ending in '0'.In Durban, the play was first performed to celebrate the centenary of the arrival of the missionary Oblate priests of Mary Immaculate.It was so successful that permission was sought - and granted - for Durban to become the "Oberammergau of Africa".There have been changes over the years - the venue moved from Greyville Racecourse to the Durban City Hall and finally to the Playhouse Theatre; the cast shrank from 400 to 150; the duration was cut from five to 2.5 hours - and the play has had its fair share of controversy.In 1966, as a consequence of apartheid legislation, theatre audiences had to be segregated and permission had to be sought for two African-only performances.Dawn Haynes has directed the past five Passion Plays, and has been involved since 1982. Staging the epic production is an enormous undertaking. Hundreds of people audition and rehearsals run for five months.There are 24 performances, including two on Good Friday, two on Saturday and another two on Easter Sunday.Rapidly changing times have not negatively affected audiences. If anything, says Haynes, demand is growing. Busloads of people make the trip from around the country. This year, for the first time, one church has booked out an entire performance. In 2011, there was hardly a free seat."We try to keep the story as true and as balanced as possible," says Haynes. "We are regularly contacted after the shows and told what an impact the play has had on people's lives."Catch the 14th Durban Passion Play; Playhouse Drama Theatre; 1 to 19 April; Bookings through Computicket..