Nativities - how are parts chosen?

[SteppedOnTheLego]

As the title suggests - how do kids nativity parts get chosen? When I was a kid, it was always the kindest, best behaved girl in the class who was rewarded with the coveted part of Mary, whereas the part of Joseph went to the most outgoing boy who didn’t mind having several lines but wasn’t necessarily the nicest boy, kids who were studious were narrators, the ones who’s attendance couldn’t be relied upon were carol singers etc……for reference I was cast as a bell ringer 😂
But can any primary teachers shed any light……how do they choose which kid has which part?! What are the requirements for a Mary, a Joseph, one of the Three Kings etc?!

Just found this.
My ds was a wise man

www.independent.co.uk/life-style/nativity-character-role-what-says-personality-primary-school-angel-donkey-narrator-a8086541.html

My DC are always bloody shepherds. We've got so many shepherd costumes of different sizes I'll be able to open a shop. At least this year DS2 can use one of DS1s old ones.

One of DS2's friends is an alligator this year. That sounds more fun than a shepherd.

I was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed child and I think this helps when it comes to parts - I’ve been Mary, Gabriel, Sleeping Beauty (in which the boy refused to kiss me😆). I’m sure being well-behaved and articulate helps too, but I reckon it was looks.

My son’s best part in primary was a minor role as a pig 🐷, so I wonder if the casting criteria has changed?

Most parts went to ethnic minority children in my DC’s school - Mary always was. We live in a multiethnic area, so it reflected the school make-up.

At my school we do a whole school play, each class gets a scene with around 5/6 speaking parts. The reasons I chose each child varies each year. This year it’s one because she’s so well behaved and deserves a treat, one because he’s improved so much in English and deserves to show it off, one because she’s never had a speaking part, two because they are quite middle of the road in terms of attainment so are often overlooked and one because they are having an awful time at home so could do with a distraction.

I don't know how the school my 2 organise things as they've been very different in the 2 non COVID years...

I might be that parent as DD was one of the leads last year (P3 had speaking parts and P1/2 were chorus types) and this year DS is planned to be the lead if he can get the words memorised. DD also got to be Mary in the play she wasn't the speaking lead as the planned Mary and both understudies were ill on the day.

Both are confident with loud voices so I suspect that has something to do with it...

I'm the PTA chair and work at the school and my kid wants, ideally, to not be on the stage full stop. If possible, not in the room when the Nativity takes place at all.

He asked could he wear a beard and and sit at the back so nobody looks at him. Begrudged participation at best 😅

I was Mary for 3 years in a row, I have no idea why I was desperately shy and hated every minute of it. Noone actually spoke though, a teacher just narrated and we moved around the stage and sang songs randomly throughout. I was desperate to be an angel as they just got to stand at the back with a white dress and a tinsel halo!

I have two DC, a boy and a girl. In their separate nativities DS was Joseph and DD was Mary. I'd like to report that I had minimal involvement with the PTA 😁

Yes they do complain. Also I’ve been asked, in November ,on several occasions over the years “ please can my daughter be Mary”.
What on earth did they expect me to say?!
Despite all of that, it’s one of the parts of teaching that I miss the most now I’m retired.

I was Mary, I was very quiet and had no lines. I did not get on with the boy playing Joseph, and we just sat there glowering at each other over baby Jesus!

DS was an accountant 😳

My DD is a shepherd for the 2nd year in a row, although she did come running out of school to tell me she was playing baby Jesus!

Mary last year was one of the shyest girls who had to say loads of lines. This year she is one of the most confident girls but doesn't have any lines at all.

Confident speakers who will also be able to memorize all the lines get the big parts
Mary and joseph don't usually have many lines so tend to give to quieter kids who deserve a chance to shine
Regular absentees are the chorus
And everyone else is assigned a role depending on who is most comfortable / capable of learning and delivering the amount of lines

If a kid says they definitely do not want to speak I don't make them likewise if they say they definitely do I usually try to give a speaking role.

Funny the first comment is nepo babies I've been working as a schools for 15 years and never once has a teachers child been the main character. They usually give their kids minimal parts to avoid accusations of favoritism.

DT(boy) came home today not happy having been given the role of the donkey, with one single line of 'eyeore eyeore'. Reason for disgruntlement. Costume scratchy apparently. DT (girl) given role of shepherd. Also not happy as wanted to be one of the children as they can wear Christmas pyjamas, rather than tea towel on head Mary and Joseph roles gone to child of headteacher and the bestest behaved cleverest boy.

DS was Joseph in a preschool or reception aged nativity at the church attached to his school. I was surprised, but I assume he was picked because:

1. his ASD meant that even at that age, he was particularly good at sitting or doing whatever he was told. Joseph in their nativity had no lines but was always on stage

2. we never showed any interest in a particular part, he was just a regular attendee of their play group.

3. presumably for the above reason, they knew he’d be there for the performance

I agree that the other parts are more interesting but it did make me smile that he wasn’t shepherd number 6 or whatever for that one time

Also, as for primary school plays: we ask the class who wants a speaking part, and work from there.

It’s absolutely the best feeling when the kids who don’t usually do that sort of thing put their hand up and end up nailing their parts in the end 🤗whatever that part may be.

I was always a narrator too and equally wanted a dressing up part.

My dd got to be Mary but in her school the parts of Mary and Joseph were picked out of a hat. Otherwise she would be one of life’s narrators too. The other parts were chosen by teachers but I don’t know how.

I don't understand how the height thing is fair? While some children do suddenly go through growth spurts, in my experience taller children tend to be taller than their peers throughout KS1, and shorter children tend to remain shorter than their peers. So if you go by height, the same taller children will get the main parts three years running and the same shorter children will miss out every year. Or am I somehow misunderstanding?

At our school:
Narrators : bright, confident readers with good memories
Innkeeper - bit of a comedian, confident
Mary & joseph: well behaved but less academic kids
Angels - load of little girls who do ballet
Shepherds - football boys
Star - a quiet, well behaved girl
Kings/queens: kids who want a speaking part but not too many lines.

You just can't give a narrator part to a weaker reader with a poor memory. Its no fun for a child who'll struggle to read and remember any of their words.

Our school is really good at working in good costumes, dances, songs, and funny one liners to ensure everyone is very visible, gets a chance to display any talents etc.

I think this was the nativity my daughter did in Y2. She was also a shepherd, wanted to be a ‘child’. She also wanted to speak. Most of the ‘children’ don’t speak so those went to the ones who didn’t want lines. The main part (narrator) is the mother or aunt or something, can’t quite remember.

In y1 she was a prophet but was the only one with lines. She is a confident reader, I expect that was why. She wanted to be an angel, was very grumpy about her outfit. Refused the head dress thing.

These were the Covid years so we just got to watch videos.

In nursery she was a wise man. The staff narrated, they just sang songs. It was lovely.

She is a blue eyed blonde who is quite confident. Hair colour doesn’t seem to have been a factor in casting at her school. I was a shy brunette, I was a trumpeter with no lines 😂

Lord knows what all this says about me. One year I was Mary, one year I was a reindeer, and one year I was one of the narrators.

I always wanted to be an angel though.

@EEeesandWhizz couldn't agree more!!
In fact, as my kids got older and cottoned on to the fact that the same kids always got the best parts, we'd have a joke and say , "Ooh let me guess who will be Mary/Joseph/Angel Gabriel this year....".And then when those kids git the part we'd show mock surprise and say "Well,who would have thought they'd get the best part!"
This happened from nursery right up to their Year 6 leavers play. My kids were only ever in the chorus, or playing a bloody triangle!

At my DC's primary school the starring roles often went to the offspring of the yummy mummies. Overheard another mother (parent of chorus child) suggesting there was couch casting going on between headteacher (male) and some mothers.

It probably says you went to a normal school where the parts were varied year by year and didn't go to teachers' children.

There were hardly any teachers' children at the school where I worked but my daughter was one and she didn't get the best parts. I organised the Reception/Nursery Nativity and no-one further up the school would have bothered to remember who played which part. Year 1 and above didn't do the straight forward Nativity anyway they used scripted plays (which were usually interminably boring imo).

At our primary it was chosen in this order, every single time-

1. Headteachers Daughter
2. Teachers children
3. LSAs children
4. midday assistants children
5. popular parents children

No one, and I mean no one else ever got a look in over the entire 7years. If you dared challenge it you were blacklisted as 'that parent'.

It was the same for sports fixtures too, regardless of sporting prowess.

No axe to grind here by DC certainly didn't want lead roles and were quite happy being angels and shepherds.