My First Christmas Pageant Ever!

About 2 weeks ago a very good friend of mine asked me to write and direct a 20-30 minute Christmas Pageant.

The funny thing about theatre in China is that it's not anything like theatre in America. To them theatre is ALL masks, bright elaborate costumes, dance-like rhythmic movements, and that high pitch obnoxious warbling. Needless to say, they had not done anything like this before.

Obviously the blocking, dialogue, and just about every other aspect of the performance was very simply scripted, especially considering it was being performed by and for non-native English speakers with only one hour rehearsal time.

Rough Synopsis:

Narrated Intro
Children's Choir: Silent Night

Part 1:
Narration
Reading
Scene: Mary & Joseph go to Innnkeepers, end up in the stable

Part2:
Narration
ReadingS
cene: Angel appears to shepherds,
Women's Choir: Hark the Herald
Shepherds find Mary & co., shepherds go out into audience proclaiming good news.

Part3:
Narrated Intro
Reading
Scene: Wise men come bringing gifts
Ensemble: Away in a Manger

Narrated Conclusion

She asked me 2 weeks ago. I had it written a few days later so that we could cast people from our English studies the next weekend (the weekend before the performance). The cast members came from 5+ different english classes and most of them had never met one another. Some of my actors refused to take scripts because they didn't want to waste the paper. The ages ranged from 7 -mid-50's.

Cast List:
Children's Choir
Mary
Joseph
Innkeepers #1-3
2 Shepherds
Angel
Angel Choir
King from the East
2 Queens from the East

My set was a chair and immovable risers placed upstage.

My prop list:
wrapped blanket that WAS the baby Jesus
2 candy boxes (Incense and Gold)
One bottle Olive Oil (myrrh)
One stuffed sheep

We would have rehearsed earlier, but we weren't allowed into the performance hall early enough before the show. When 6pm rolled around (7pm performance) 2 of my shepherds, and my only speaking angel were missing. I replaced them all. 20 minutes before the performance the angel and a shepherd showed up. So we performed with 2 angels and 3 shepherds.

We had no run through. The woman who was bringing the costumes thought we just wanted Choir robes. (Languare barrier...) There was impromptu blocking, speaking, and gesturing. There was about a 6 minute pause when the narrator didn't know it was his turn to speak after Part 1.

BUT, no one missed an actual line, everyone was off script other than the narrator, everyone stayed behind the curtains when they were supposed to, no one touched props that weren't theirs, they handed off the microphone beautifully despite practice without it (with only a small exception), the hall attendant changed his mind and agreed to turn the stage lights on, and my replacement Angel was FABULOUS! All in all it was remarkable how it all came together. I was so impressed and proud of them!

I had an absolute blast taking charge of the project!