Have you ever sat down and thought about all that goes into the Holiday Season? Whether at home, school, church or other civic organizations we all tend to spruce things up starting this time of year. I have been a member of a church that had an entire committee dedicated to decorating the sanctuary, getting a tree up, organizing dinners and parties. My last church in Texas even organized a giving tree, where we could adopt families in need.
What if these lovely volunteers didn’t exist? Who would put up the decorations? Who would cook the meals? Who would plan the parties or the programs? It’s wonderful to partake in all these events, but we should also be mindful of all the helping hands that make it possible.
In Off Broadway Players’ production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, we see what happens when the organizer of all the events for the local church is injured and can’t do it all herself. As happens in real life, a new volunteer must take over and struggle through her first time.
I remember the first play I directed and how scared I was. Would the actors listen to me and would I have enough creativity to make it interesting? There were bumps along the way, but in the end we had a lovely show and the audience loved it.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever tells two very important stories. The first story is straight from the Bible and tells the story of the birth of Jesus. In my opinion, this story is always sweeter when told by a child. The second underlying story is that of acceptance. We, as a society, tend to judge others quickly based on appearance and this show teaches us that many times we are a victim of circumstance not inherent nature. The rowdy group of children from the Herdman family were never given the gift of acceptance and love. They find that and more when they show up at the local church in time to be part of the Christmas Pageant.
Come join us as we celebrate the Holiday Season and proudly share the Christmas story and the talents of 19 children and 8 adults. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever will run Friday and Saturday Nov 10th, 11th,17th and 18th at 7m and Sunday Nov 12th and 19th at 3pm. More information on location and ticket prices can be found at offbroadwayplayersva.org.
See you at the Theatre,
Terri