The Passion - Characters

In order of appearance.

John Baptist	Appears only in the first scene, to baptise Jesus
Jesus	Massive part!
Angel	Present at the Baptism of Jesus
Blind Man/Woman	Witness to Christ's entry into Jerusalem
Poor Man/Woman	Witness to Christ's entry into Jerusalem
Three Women	Witness to Christ's entry into Jerusalem
Philip	Disciple. Has lines only in Christ's entry into Jerusalem
Peter	Disciple. Main character in the Denial of Jesus
Burghers	Proclaims Jesus when he enters Jerusalem. Lines will probably be shared by a number of Burghers from the Company.
Judas	Disciple and Christ's betrayer
Andrew	Disciple and Christ's betrayer
John	Disciple
Disciples (7)	The un-named disciples are needed for non-speaking parts in scenes such as the Last Supper. These are James (son of Zebedee), James (son of Alphaeus), Bartholemew, Thomas, Matthew, Thaddeus (also known as Judas son of James, or Lebbaeus) and Simon the Zealot (also known as Simon the Canaanite). Can be played by men or women.
Marcellus	Washes Jesus' feet at the Last Supper
Knights	Considerably more than walk-on parts, the Knights have a good deal to say and do, including having the longest scene - the Crucifixion - almost to themselves. In the darkest of moments, the Knights still manage to provide a little humour, though falling short of the pantomime style some of the characters had in The Nativity. For example, assigned as the workmen to erect the cross, their arguing about how to do it is timeless. Knight 1 is the foreman. He gives the orders and tricks the others in the drawing of lots. Knight 2 is something of a henchman. He physically takes Jesus in the arrest scene and intimidates the Marys tending to Jesus after the scourging. He forces Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross, freely taunts Jesus directly and indirectly, and takes a lead in the practical details of the crucifixion - nailing, hoisting up, wedging upright. Knight 3 is the whinger of the outfit, seeing problems everywhere, presumably with much sucking of teeth. He points out that Jesus is too weak to carry the cross, gets told to stop moaning, and is generally picked on by the other knights. He moans that they have little time to carry out the crucifixion before noon, that nail in Jesus' left hand won't hold, and about the wobbly cross. Think: "You can't get the shims, mate..." Knight 4 is the most eager to get the job done. He concerns himself with tools and paraphernalia but doesn't do any actual nailing. He maintains a detachment from the consequences of the actions, concentrating on doing the job in hand. Think: "Making the bullets for other people to fire".
Malcus	Probably a named Knight, in addition to the other 4. Has his ear chopped off by Peter in a scuffle when Jesus is arrested, which is miraculously restored by Jesus.
Cayphas	The High Priest Caiaphas. The spelling presumably comes from the York play on which The Passion is based. Contrives to have Jesus arrested and executed.
Annas	Side-kick of Cayphas
Woman	Denounces Peter, and gives evidence at the Trial of Jesus
Pilate	Roman governor. The scene with his wife has some humour. Whether this is quite Basil and Sybil Fawlty remains to be seen, but it could be!
Percula	Wife of Pilate. Ambitious and power-hungry. The scene with Pilate has some humour. Whether this is quite Basil and Sybil Fawlty remains to be seen, but it could be!
Barabbas	Criminal released instead of Jesus
Death	Makes a brief appearance to take Judas
Simon of Cyrene	Carries Christ's cross on the road to Calvary
Mary Mother	Mother of Jesus, appears towards the end of the play to mourn. Key link to the third play in the cycle, Doomsday, as this continues the story where The Passion leaves off.
Mary Magdelene	Mourns Jesus
Mary Salome	Mourns Jesus
Miner	Delivers the final monologue, similar to Death in The Nativity. Breathtakingly effective.
The Company	The entire company are called upon to greet the audience as they come in and join the action at various stages. There is less full company action than in The Nativity. Most of those with named parts will also take part as general members of the company.