Nativity play begin

[t1n333]

As nativity plays begin just wondering how teachers cast. Dd reception is a narrator. Is there any rhyme or reason or just a lucky dip?

[ROSY2016]

In school nativity, why same children get main part every year.

[mrz]

No I never use my phone in school

[strangerintheday]

mrz (just as a side note)
I hope you don't spell Herod as "Herrod" to your class

[hels71]

Our nativity is for R/1/2. Firstly we cast all the year 2 giving everyone at least one line, adapting the script if needed. Then we look at year 1 and any left over speaking parts are likely to be given to the sensible ones. The remaining year 1 and R are usually angels/sheep/donkeys/extra shepherds/extra innkeepers/pages....

[teacher54321]

I do the nativities at school, as the specialist music and drama person it's my job to choose the nativities we do and then cast them. In ours we have supporting year groups alternating with 'lead' year groups. So reception will have the speaking parts in the EYFS one and Y2 will have the speaking parts in the KS1 nativity. Every child in the lead year groups will get at least one line And I rewrite the scripts each year to ensure that is the case (lots of them can now be edited on word documents so you can add in extra shepherds etc easily). All children 'audition' for me (say a line or two) so I can hear their speaking voices and I speak to their class teachers to find out what their reading ability is like. For singing solos they audition by singing by themselves, but they choose to do that, I don't force them to. An enormous amount of thought goes into it, and I spend a long time trying to get it right!

[Feenie]

You did say it, pastapesto - you said exactly that!

[pastapestoparmesan]

I meant to say that my female Herod LOVED playing the part, was brilliant at it, and still remembers it fondly - she's now in Y6 and was in Y2 at the time.

[Feenie]

I remember the baby as not being particularly impressed and attempting to compete with my singing

[catkind]

Jeepers Feenie, what did the real baby think of that? Could see that causing some problems with "no crying he makes"!

[Tomorrowillbeachicken]

No PTA here so that won't work here but was the same at my school when I was young. Girl became spoilt and bosy but left me alone after I put her in her place once .
I have to admit I had singing solos in even infant school and remember them clearly but I think that was more to do with the fact that I sang outside school.

[SansaClegane]

In our school it seems the main roles are given to children whose parents volunteer at school / are in the PTA... They have singing solos or long speeches and are afterwards praised heavily by the headmistress.
DS was angel Gabriel last year; as angels are male though it never occurred to me that this is weird/unusual?

[Tomorrowillbeachicken]

lol my best nativity as a child was the one where I was the angel Gabriel and the vicars son pulled the dolls head off!

[Feenie]

Mary doesn't usually have to say anything

True, but I was Mary in chapel on a Sunday when I was 4 and I had to hold a real baby and sing a solo.

No wonder I preferred playing Herod!

[catkind]

Take the tissues lndnmummy!

[Lndnmummy]

First time school mum here, my ds who is 4 and in reception told me yesterday that he is going to be an angel or a snowflake and he has a little line too. He said they had been asked who wanted to join in and he said "he had put his hand up".

I cant wait to see all the little ones

[jamdonut]

Pilkopumpants

Mary doesn't usually have to say anything, so if she struggles with that, it's an ideal role.
Her more confident friends will probably be landed with narrator parts, just because they ARE confident.

Children that can speak loudly, and act sensibly, and take direction are usually given main speaking parts. There's no point in giving a main reason speaking part to a child who has a tiny voice and/or crumbles when it is their turn to speak.

[pastapestoparmesan]

I meant to say that my female Herod LOVED playing the part, was brilliant at it, and still remembers it fondly - she's now in Y6 and was in Y2 at the time.

[AChickenCalledKorma]

When DD1 was in year 6, her male friend was the angel Gabriel. He was the coolest angel ever and carried it off brilliantly.

[JakeBallardswife]

In our class nativity all parts were given to those who want them. Some will just be the chorus and they seem happy with that. All apart from one parent who came into complain that Child A had more lines than his son and his son was distraught about this. There was a long speech from the parent about fairness etc.

I calmly explained that Child A didn't have any lines and all other children had 2 lines each. Parent grudgingly accepted that this was acceptable. Grrr.

[AlwaysNeverOnTime]

My DD is Mary this year. Apparently she asked if she could be Mary and the teacher said yes. She's 5, so I don't know how true that is.

[soontobemrsmckeown]

My dd aged 4 was a sheep last year and that was a big role she had a dance that she had to do with two reception aged children. This year she's told me that she's a toy.

[Feenie]

Awww, Tiggles - bless him!

[Tomorrowillbeachicken]

My son is still upset he's not an angel. Poor thing.
After overhearing parents of girls I am glad DS isn't a girl and imagine that small amount of girls just add to the issues.