Guest post – Mary & Julie's recipe for a great Nativity

The School Nativity Play –  such a memorable tradition! It is so tempting, when casting your play, to take the less risky option of selecting reliably confident players for key parts, but we believe that a nativity play can be the ideal opportunity to encourage the less-obvious child to step into the limelight. For example, Mary and Joseph are considered leading roles yet seldom have much to say, whereas a lone angel walking on to centre stage shouting, ‘Fear Not!’ might be a star in
the making!
 
Before giving the children their parts, however, it is important to sell them the product. We suggest that, to stir up enthusiasm, the plot is initially told as a story (rather than a read-through) interspersed with samples of the songs. It also helps at this point to make notes of any adaptations to staging that might be necessary to suit your performance area, and to make a performance plan.


This means that from the outset children are given positive directions. It’s amazing how difficult it is to get them to make changes at a later stage. It’s almost as though initial stage directions are indelibly printed in their minds. This early preparation could also result in fewer rehearsals.

Our nativity musicals are planned with easy rehearsing schedules in mind.  In school, we were expected to produce a nativity play to include class groups from Nursery to Year 6. We soon devised a blueprint that allowed each age group to be responsible for a scene. We tried to ensure that characters didn’t overlap until the final tableau.

This meant that class teachers only had one song to teach and could fit short rehearsals into their day. Opening and closing songs were tackled in music lessons. Only a couple of full rehearsals were then required before the performance. When writing, we still use this blueprint wherever possible. It might not be entirely possible to achieve this with your chosen play, but careful casting within age groups might make rehearsing easier to manage.

If you don’t have a music specialist in school, you might find these tips for introducing a song helpful:

• First, let the class listen to the song on the CD, sung by the inspiring Out of the Ark choir.
• Then, play it again with them humming or ‘doody doo-ing’ along to bits they can remember. 
• Now, pick out a line of catchy words for them to listen out for. In no time they will be singing
  along confidently. 

Have you noticed how often singing with confidence can become shouting? Julie’s catchphrase is, ‘Never louder than lovely’ and strangely, children seem to understand what she means!