My dc hasn't got starring role - it's so unfair'

[stoatsrevenge]

AIBU to be mighty pissed off by the number of threads on this? How many Marys were there in Bethlehem FGS?!

Last year my DD was an alien - complete with those head bopper things. She was quite happy as she sat there trying to knock the little boy next to her off the bench and the stage!

Can't complain though as the year before she was Whoopsadaisy.

laughing 'til I cry esp at the less than polite innkeeper and the expelled donkey.

thank you so much for this thread.

DS has worked his way - paid his dues in the bit parts so to speak.

aged 3 - shepherd
aged 4 - innkeeper
aged 5 - elf (they didn't do a nativity)
aged 6 (this year) - King 1 (with a solo line in a song) :D

DD is in her first play and she (aged 3) is a sheep.

These are brilliant

In our school, it's the same every year- all the P1's are angels, all the p2's are shepherds, all the P3's are stars, and the "main roles" are doled out among the P4's. Since P1, dd2 (now P3) has had her heart set on the role of Mary, when she reaches the dizzy heights of P4. I have been trying to let her down gently ever since, as I know it is hugely unlikely!

If she is anything like me, she will be the narrator in every play, every year, every time. Sigh. I did kick off once (fed up with being the only one without a costume!) and thereafter I got to be a "narrating angel"- a small but worthwhile victory, I felt.

Just when it seemed to be seeping through to DD1 that she was unlikely to ever be Mary, and that being Mary wasn't such great shakes anyway, last year DD2 was chosen to be Mary in her toddler-group nativity. Poor DD1 had to go and watch it, too- I was proud of how graciously she bore seeing her little sis flouncing around in her lovely shiny Mary costume!

DS on the other hand was meant to be a donkey, but point blank refused to wear a costume, any costume, would only go on stage if I stood in the wings, and then started a fight with a shepherd while the angels sang Funnily enough, I haven't been asked if he wants a part in this year's nativity...

I'm in the middle of rehersing our KS1 play - just spare a thought for the teachers!! Actually it's the highlight of my year - I LOVE it. It's such a scream - we had Baby Jesus' head fall off and one of the angels kicked it off the stage. Angels being sick down the wall during their starring moment was interesting!! And of course I cry every year at every performance! Woose or what???? : )

oh, here is my Nativity Play Act of Cruelty .... in my primary the nativity play costumes were stacked at the top of the wardrobe and I spent three years looking at the boxes fantasising about which might be mine... the play never changed year on year

until.... my year. The play was changed. It was given an introduction - a child wandering onto stage and "imagining" the nativity which then unfolded

Yes, gentle reader, I was the child. In my school uniform. Not a teeny tiny spot of sodding tinsel. Nada. Bitter? Moi?

My DD is a special angel - they had an odd number of children and she did not have a partner, so they have called her special!! one day she will understand...

Dd1 is 'child 2' , i think she is a narrator as she has a few lines to learn. Last year she was Mary but had no lines.

Dd2 is a sheep, she just has to sit there which she will find hard, she has Autism and often refusses to go in the hall so it will be a challange for her.

I've never forgotten being Mary (aged 4) and Joseph wetting himself and refusing to sing with me - must have been the start of all my ishoos with men

dd1 loathes being the centre of attention and/or acting, and is mega relieved to be the Narrator. She would rather be nothing than Mary.

dd2 is doing her first Nativity as part of the Nursery chorus singing 'Twinkle twinkle' and holding a star, and is overjoyed about the whole process in theory - but am not convinced she'll stay put once there's an audience!

I was amazed at how many upset kids and parents there were when roles were given out...you'd think it was the Oscars...

I have JUST finished writing the script for the carol concert and everyone in KS2 has a speaking part-at least I think they do! I have checked and double checked and I'm still bound to have missed some poor soul out A quick re-write will probably be necessary when I work out who it is!
Now all I have to do is to get them to learn their words, make the props, learn the songs ( in six different languages!) make the costumes and pray

It's time all those Marys stood up to be counted and demanded lines!

I bet she gave Joseph a right good bollocking for not booking a hotel in advance....

Can I just say at this point in response to all the narrators and people with rubbish costumes or no costumes at all, that I had the following costume: (you may now go )

Angel Gabriel:
Gold halo (other angels had blue ones)
Beautiful white gown, possibly from a small real angel
REAL ANGEL WINGS with feathers like on Christmas cards. At the very least they came from a large swan.

I think the teacher was high up in the Vatican and had access to genuine Biblical outfittery.

Nobody believes I had this. I must have been 8 yrs old but I never had (or saw) a costume like it before or sice

DD was offered Mary in the church toddlers' play aged 2 years old. I had SERIOUS doubts about it, as she was incredibly shy and DS had only just been born. My brother (who is very thespian) told me DD would never forgive me if I turned the role down on her behalf so I let her do it...result? We practised loads at home, she started coming down with a cold on the day, I had to go on stage with her (leaving newborn DS in pew) - it is extremely hard to hide behind a 2 year old. And people are talking about DC being traumatised???!!! The most surreal part of it all was other Mums complimenting me on DDs costume and asking if I'd bought it specially. Huh? DD was wearing an old blue t-shirt of mine with a muslin around her waist and another on her head!

My DS is an Angel and over the bloody moon!!!! He's been asking to be an Angel for years and to go to heaven and we keep telling him he could pretend to be an earth angel. Perhaps this well get the whole Angel thing out of his system.

Really looking forward to seeing him. Both our kids (year 2 and r) are so excited to be part of it all this year.

My DS has his first pre-school play tomorrow. They are all snowmen and I think the "play" is them singing a song about snowmen.

If they can even get him to wear the costume I will be mightily impressed, if he actually sings I might just fall off my chair in shock.

I had a meeting at church after the service on Sunday and put my head in to see the rehearsal. Father Christmas was there, as was Superman...

My eldest is only 4 so I don't mind that she's part of the crowd, although I don't think I can attend because when I was in the room she stopped singing and dancing! Last year she did a drumming thing with nursery and lay on her drum just tapping her fingers...

Her (CoE) school is doing Peter Pan, but I think they're doing individual plays too. I asked her what she's going to be and she whispered "Shhh I can't tell you it's for childrens." She's also told me this evening that when you have a baby in your tummy you have to go on a donkey so you don't hurt yourself. She's in for a shock because I'm not going anywhere near a donkey in the next 5/6 months!

some lovely creative roles in these nativity plays! Hilarious. Love the "alien" for instance. lol

DownyEmerald - we used Whoopsie Daisy Angel one year, it's a nice little musical. ANd, IIRC (but don't quote me, it was a few years ago) the snowflakes have a song/dance all of their own so you should be able to see her.

I always wanted to be Mary, but little fat ginger kids in glasses didn't get to be Mary. I did get Gabriel one year though.

My best role was a doctor one year though - in that version of the Nativity play there was a fight between some Roman soldiers and I was called out in an ambulance. My mum knew a guy who was a surgeon so I got to wear a real stethoscope, a real surgeon's mask and hat and I got to inject a Roman soldier with a three foot hypodermic needle and cut his leg off with a saw. It was great.

I was Mary at our pre-school nativity play - non-speaking part, only had to nurse baby and look cute, which in restrospect looking at the photos my mum took I managed to achieve . I was probably casted for the role as I was a chatterbox and it was the only way to keep me quiet (nothing to do with being very pale and having long black hair).

DS is in Year R and the teachers are taking a very brave stance with him (he takes after mum in the non-stop chatter department)- he's the compere. As far as I can tell, two lines, one to welcome all the "ladies & gentlemen to our Christmas stories" (notice the plural, there'll be several, he tells me), and one to close the show off. Will he be able to restrain himself and keep to his two lines? Time will tell! He'll also be yelling singing carols. Asked him yesterday about other roles, and he brushed the question away with "mostly they'll be people, mum". Shame, reading your comments I was looking forward to Christmas puddings, reindeers, donkeys, snowflakes and a firmament of bright little stars.

ds1 is a cockeral (yes spelt like that on the tickets/programme)

did they even have fecking cockerels in Bethlehem?

One of the cliquey mums has the dd playing mary suprise suprise!

DD still too young for this but I was always narrator - Every Blimmen Year. I yearned to be a proper character with a proper costume and all, but no, every year it was....

"And lo Mary and Joseph travelled to Bethlehem on a donkey..."

I'd like to say this was because of my beautifully clear speaking voice, above average reading ability and excellent memory (i swear i had one once) but with the benefit of hindsight it was prob'ly because i was a noisy little baggage whose voice could be heard at the back of the hall!

Sigh

Last year in reception DD1 was a servant girl - I resisted the temptation to ask 'is it because she is black'

This year Yr1 she is part of the chorus and just needs to be in all black thank God.

DS now in reception is a camel.

The bright lights of Hollywood do not appear to be calling as yet.

DD2 however, is apparently an evil Christmas pudding in her pre-school play, but there has been no official notification yet so she is probably trying to make a fool out of me

I was Mary once. Mum told me when I was older that the only reason I was Mary was because i'd been off having my tonsils out and it was a non-speaking part

Dsis was Snow White (ok this is Panto not nativity but still counts) and everyone in her school was unimpressed. She was the new kid and they only did a play every other year and the other girls weren't pleased. dsis also had long blonde hair which didn't match with Snow White.

DD has been given the role of the Landlords cat in the landlords cat play they're doing this year. No idea if it's one of the main parts, but I know some of her friends are unimpressed at merely being narrators. Dd is in y2, the nativity is infants only, y2 take on the main parts and narrators and y1 and yr have lesser roles with no lines. They all get to sing.

No time to read this thread as I've got to prepare an alien costume for tommorow!!!!!
Aliens in a Christmas play! I ask you!