nmt252, be aware that the accommodation package you buy will determine how good your seating is in the theater. To get the better seats with one of these "arrangements," you have to book the more expensive packages. The price list for individual tickets, without accommodation, is here: http://www.passionsspiele2010.de/index.php?id=97. By comparing these prices to the figures in the second column of the package price list, you can determine which seating class you get with the package you're considering. The numbers in the second column are a bit higher than the seat prices because they include a few other things you get along with the tickets, such as a program (which is more like a full-size paperback book and includes an English translation of the entire performance to help you follow along).

For me, it makes a whole lot more sense to get lodging outside of O'gau and buy Saturday tickets, in part because I can spring for better seats without having to pay for "luxury" accommodations (in truth, I'm not sure there's any place in O'gau that qualifies as truly luxury accommodations). On the other hand, the web site assures us that all seats have a good view of the stage and that the acoustics are excellent throughout the auditorium. Based on my experience in 2000, I'd say that's not an exaggeration. One thing I would recommend, though, is to stay away from the first 5 rows or so, because while the seats are covered by a high roof, the stage is open to the sky, and if it rains, the first few rows can get wet.

One thing I'm a bit worried about, though, with my plan to buy individual tickets, is just how we'll get dinner. We can get lunch prior to arriving for the play (which starts around 2 pm), or bring in a picnic. But based on my experience in 2000, I expect every restaurant seat within 10-20 miles of Oberammergau to be filled with people who bought a package. So for dinner I wonder if we'll face a choice between tailgaiting or driving to a moderately distant town. Even if we have to do that, though, the break should be long enough to drive out, eat, and return, because they'll want to give people time to buy some woodcarvings and other souvenirs between dinner and the resumption of the play.

I wonder if I'd find any success trying to make independent reservations soon with a local hotel/pension/etc. and/or restaurant at less inflated prices. I doubt it, but it might be worth a phone call or two.