“The Passion:” What A Live Production Is Like

FOX TV’s upcoming live musical event – “The Passion” – is just days away on Palm Sunday. We’ve got a preview and local perspective on just how big of a deal it is to produce a live event of this magnitude.

The story is a modern take on Jesus Christ’s last hours – and all produced into a live two-hour show airing to millions Sunday.

“Got to be some sort of a logistical nightmare,” said Jeff Stark, Director of DECC Venue Operations.

Stark is used to hours of live productions – from rock concerts to hockey games on television.

“Get all of your cues right, get all of your lines correctly done. Just the cast of characters that are on the screen and off the screen that have to pull that off is astronomical,” Stark said.

With an eye for the spotlight, Stark says the amount of staff to put on a two-hour live event like “The Passion” includes much more than what you see on stage or television.
“A lot of times for some of the smaller shows — 30 or 40 people are working behind the scenes to push the boxes in, get the lighting set, get the sound set, get everything ready to go so that it does look like this at the end of the day.

So whether it’s from the big stage at the DECC or the national state with “The Passion,” the mission to make a production look seamless is the goal in the end.

“There are times when things are out of your control that you don’t really — you can’t account for. But that’s show biz,” Stark said with a smile.

Coming up Friday night on FOX 21 news at 9, we’ll talk with a local pastor about her feeling on this contemporary live musical that’s retelling Jesus Christ’s last hours.