How do teachers decide which child plays which role in a play/nativity?

[Gingerbready]

Just as above

Depends on the teacher!

One boy (a rash choice it seemed as he was the one the rest of the school would have voted most likely to end up in jail) made a surprisingly impressive Angel Gabriel.

I wonder each Christmas if he looks back now and realises that someone saw his potential-for-good even when he was the most challenging child in the school.

I cast a few children this year who were desperate for parts and gave me the big sob story about never getting a part - I’m a sucker for a sob story.

All four of them have been a nightmare. Didn’t bother to learn their lines, dicked around and delivered their lines (eventually) with the expression of a piece of wood .

One of my very frustrated other actors whispered loudly to his friend yesterday. “It’s no wonder xx doesn’t normally get a part!”

It’s obviously not always the case but harassed and tired teachers want kids they can rely on - and this can be why the same kids get picked .

My youngest DD was Joseph in her playgroup nativity play nearly three decades ago. She asked to be, and most of the boys wanted to be animals. So she was.

My quite and shy ds was given the part of Joseph a few years ago in nursery. Honestly have no idea why they dud that.
He told me not to come ( think he knew seeing me would upset him), he silently cried the whole way through, and Mary said most og his lines for him 😂. Broke my heart. Wee soul.

It tended to always be the same children at DC's school - confident children but there were others that would have had a go (not mine, they hated the idea! ). Children's parents always usually the ones who were friendly with the teacher, or the ones who volunteered reading/trips or governors.. could be a coincidence but used to be a major cause of moaning amongst parents who's children never got a shot

I was short and splay-footed, so was cast as a penguin

@Iminaglasscaseofemotion oh poor boy

@peppermintteadrinker

Hmm my ds is in y5. Felt sad for him this year. He had no part at all yet again. they've done numerous plays since reception and has had one line ever. Same kids every time get the parts. Didn't think he was bothered before but he was really down about it last week and it seemed to have dented his confidence.

I work in year 6. We would audition the children and try to make sure that all children who would like a speaking part get at least a line, but the main parts go to the children that impress us in the auditions - so clear, confident, expressive voices and good acting skills, and sometimes will persuade some children that they are capable of taking a bigger part if we think they'll be good at it. We neither know, nor care, who did what in previous years as that is not relevant to our production, but often children who were not so confident when they were younger blossom into great performers, but they earn the part on merit, not because they've never had a main part.

@myhobbyisouting, he did warn me. I just thought I would be able to hide, but I'm pretty tall 🤣

My DS got the main part last year as I'd named him Joseph so the teacher felt she couldn't give him another roll.

DD went through the whole of primary school and was never once chosen for anything.

All this 'we need the confident ones' is rubbish - how is any child meant to build any confidence if they are overlooked time and time again?

It made me so sad to see the same quiet children in the background every time.

So glad we're past that phase!

DS1 once had a main speaking role... I think it was because he made an acceptance speech for his Star of the Week in assembly
He's good at projecting his voice and memorising lines (strongly dyslexic) but his ASD is making him more self concious about these rhings, which is a shame as he does it well.

There was only 1 year where the children got parts year 3 I think. My confident autumn born dd2 was Mary - at the time I volunteered to help on trips and with reading and was on the pta - oh dear 😁

In reception my daughter refused to be Mary as they had first chosen another girl but the costume didn’t fit her. My daughter took the huff she was second choice and refused. Presumably choice no 3 was based on the costume fitting and a lack of diva qualities.

My DD1 got the main role in their Reception nativity. They always do one of those "takes on a nativity" so the number and nature of lead roles varies from year to year. In that year there was one larger role than all of the others. I thought she got it because she was reliable, confident and would do exactly what was asked of her. Then DD2 got a main role in her Reception nativity. I was surprised as she's a confident child, but I wouldn't have described her as either reliable or compliant. She was great in it, but I am still a bit surprised that she wasn't one of a flock of sheep or something. I think the teachers must see something in her that isn't demonstrated at home.

My DD's school does seem to shift the main parts around. DD1 hasn't had a main part in a play since. They tend to have tons of narrators, so everyone says something. It has been good for DD1 in learning to deal with disappointment as she has had her turn at being a lead. The only problem with the approach is that there is a lot of mumbling into a microphone by kids - I am not sure if that means that they shouldn't be as equitable as they are or they should just train them to belt out their lines.

At nursery we will choose the parts towards the end of the practice sessions. Mostly on who has ended up most confident, who is cooperative, who is the oldest (doesn't always work but an older 4yo tends to have more confidence than a just turned 3yo), who will make it in for the play itself (our children don;t do every day so depends who will be in or whose parents are reliable enough to bring them in on a day they don't usually attend).

At nursery age it's always a gamble. Children who are amazing all through the rehearsals completely break down when they see mum and dad on the day. Some surprise you by being amazing with an audience watching even though they spend all the practice sessions running around the room ignoring the teacher.

I should add at this point I love the nursery christmas play. It always amazes me how well they do on the day and how much they can achieve at such a young age.

@frustrationcentral

It tended to always be the same children at DC's school - confident children but there were others that would have had a go (not mine, they hated the idea! ). Children's parents always usually the ones who were friendly with the teacher, or the ones who volunteered reading/trips or governors.. could be a coincidence but used to be a major cause of moaning amongst parents who's children never got a shot

As a teacher, I don’t necessarily disagree. Parents who go the extra mile, coming in religiously to read with children, helping out on trips etc. can 100% be relied upon to help their children learn lines etc.

We also have parents who can’t do any of the above due to work commitments but every reply slip is given in the next day, homework is always given in, and it is evident they read with their child. They too are likely to have children who will get vocal parts as we know they will be supported.

Unless your child is a confident reader and self driven perceived parental ‘attitude’ to supporting the child/school will always be a big factor in who is chosen to learn lines.

Saying that our Mary and Joseph never spoke so I often gave those parts to children with good attendance, moderate confidence, but who were verbally shy or were under SALT.

My kiddies with SEND who needed support were cast as a king/sheep depending on their needs. Kings were the kiddies who could manage sandwiched in between two other children. My sheep were the children who needed more support from their 1:1 and we’d make little lamb fiddle toys for them. I have had a Joseph with SEND who had amazing sequencing skills and could remember where to move perfectly. He was amazing.

Everyone was given a part, but children who had poor attendance were given roles which wouldn’t be impacted by them not being there. They might be part of a flock of sheep or chorus of angels.

Children with ‘challenging’ behaviour were often located close to the TA supporting the SEND child so she could support their behaviour too. By default they were generally sheep/shepherds.

I'll not miss this when our youngest leaves primary this year, children gaining confidence in performing will naturally be better in the auditions the following year, children pushed to the back will be far more likely to stay at the back. Things don't mix up and it's typically the same children year after year. Our eldest hated the whole thing till secondary when he found actually he loves drama class.

All this 'we need the confident ones' is rubbish - how is any child meant to build any confidence if they are overlooked time and time again?

I agree with you actually, yesterday I noticed the same little girl in year 3, front and centre, who's had a starring role in every performance since nursery...... ground my teeth a bit!!!

The only thing I would say is that building children's confidence in this type of thing, drawing them out and getting them to perform takes time that we just don't have during the Christmas nativity.

What I notice is that often parents and children get cross about this over Christmas but don't do anything about it, like enroll them in a weekend drama class for example.

Personally I'd like to see Schools promoting drama and singing much more often as part of their after school club program. Ours is 100% sports which annoys me intensely!

@1WildPartridgeInAPearTree

Depends on the teacher!

One boy (a rash choice it seemed as he was the one the rest of the school would have voted most likely to end up in jail) made a surprisingly impressive Angel Gabriel.

I wonder each Christmas if he looks back now and realises that someone saw his potential-for-good even when he was the most challenging child in the school.

This made me smile. I did the same one year and made him the star of Bethlehem - at least he was in a prominent place and I could see what his hands were doing. He had the time of his life and grinned all the way through.

Not sure but I just know it's never my child !! I can predict every year the child who will be picked for then main parts and I'm usually right!!

When I was a TA in year 2, I worked with a teacher who had an incredible knack for giving the main parts to a complete underdog who came through and turned out to be incredible. She knew her children so well. We prided ourselves in not picking the usual suspects so that at least if those children were picked for everything else in primary school, the other children got at least one chance to shine.

The loud, over confident ones were narrators. Mary would either be a very quiet girl that you wouldn’t expect to get a main part (as Mary usually just sits there) or someone who could sing on their own if she had a solo. The kings were the more boisterous boys.

There was one year when a boy called Gabriel was cast as the angel Gabriel and all hell broke loose 🤨.

@lollipoprainbow

Not sure but I just know it's never my child !! I can predict every year the child who will be picked for then main parts and I'm usually right!!

I don't know about picking the same children every year because I was a Reception teacher so there was no history.

However, most schools only do Nativity in Ks 1 so that's three nativities. With 30 in a class, clearly, not everyone is going to get a main part.

@camelfinger

I have a theory that it’s the autumn born children. I think they are the most confident being the eldest and being chosen to do things like this builds their confidence further.

Didn’t hold true for mine. Youngest in year but main roles nearly every time. One of their names helped, to be fair. I think it varies enormously from teacher to teacher, unsurprisingly. They need children who will turn up. Whose parents will do evening performance, if necessary. Then probably someone who will get a recognisable costume without fuss. Then children who generally do as they are told, not burst into tears, remember their lines and smile.

Well in my DDs school it was the same 4 kids for 7 years.
I actually thought in Yr6 they might give a chance for everyone to show their faces on stage (combined Yr5&6 show at night). But no, DD was in the choir, again.
DD seems shy but she’s actually quite good at public speaking and it would have done her confidence a world of good.
The performances actually clashed with other things we had planned (one a rehearsal for a performance she was actually involved in) so we didn’t attend. As usual though it was all very last minute so I think it’s just easier for them to give it to the same kids.
Her teacher rang me up to complain and I explained that I wasn’t wasting two evenings again when we had other things planned, to watch the same 4 kids on stage again. He didn’t have an answer.
Apparently on the yr5 parents night hardly any yr6 kids turned up for the choir, I think the parents all had enough taking their kids in at night for no real reason.
I don’t miss that school.