How to survive the Nativity?!

[TheSparklesAreCalling]

2 Y1s and 2 Rs.... and I'm in charge!

Where do you begin? We've got a script and someone musical.

Casting seems enormously political. I haven't a clue how I'm going to fit them all on the stage. HELP!

[JassyRadlett]

DS’s school does a reception/Y1 nativity so 120 kids. Reception are angels, shepherds and animals - as a PP said they stay in the same spot on the side of the stage throughout and stand up to sing. They’re basically the chorus. Y1 get the parts (such as they are - still a lot of angels and shepherds but they get to move around at least!)

They did Whoops-a-daisy Angel one year which was very sweet.

[ILikTheBred]

My kids’ school usually has three classes do the nativity together and splits the tale into three acts with each class taking a third - so 3 Marys, 3 Josephs etc. Means everyone (apart from the silent shepherds ) gets a line.

[ILikTheBred]

Reminds me of when DS came home in his first year of school very proud that he had been assigned the role of a ‘Silent Shepherd’

[rosegoldwatcher]

No advice to impart - retired secondary teacher so no nativity experience except as a member of the audience at my (now grown up) sons' performances.
But @Fuzzyspringroll - you made me laugh aloud! I've also got one, who is desperate to be a werewolf.

[rosesinmygarden]

I used www.musiclinedirect.com every year for activities and key stahe 2 end of year production. (Yes, I somehow ended up in charge of both!)

They have brilliant smart board features to teach the songs and dances.

[cantkeepawayforever]

Out of the Ark:
www.outoftheark.co.uk/products/nativities/

Starshine also good:
www.starshine.co.uk/christmas/nativities

[Bowerbird5]

Read Gervase Phinn and Mike Hardings books about the Nativity.

We had Mary almost throw Baby Jesus to Joseph and say "you 'ave 'im he wont shut up!' It brought the house down. Good luck.

We've used a series but I can't remember the name of the producer. The Whoopsy Daisy Angel etc there are loads of them. Very good and we put a local slant on them by changing a few bits. Around the world to Bethlehem was good if you have loads of kids.

[Sewingbea]

@CaptainCallisto oops. I've seen some classics too over the years; the innkeeper who refused to answer Joseph's knock at the door; the king who threw the present at the baby Jesus; the angel who did a poo on the stage; the camel who tripped up the steps; the third king who flatly refused to walk up to the stage so two Magi rather three visited and no myrrh was gifted; and, most unforgettably and unfortunately, the bagpiper (Christmas around the world, need you ask?) who jigged sideways with such enthusiasm whilst 'playing' his bagpipes - recorder, cardboard tubes and tartan fabric - that he fell off the stage... Oh it's laugh a minute with Nativity...

[CaptainCallisto]

Make sure the crowns fit your 3 kings. Last year our Balthazar's crown slipped over his eyes and he tripped over a bench and fell flat on his face. He nearly took out the manger and it took forever to stop them all giggling...

[levighi]

Oh, and always have a tambourine, bell, whistle in whole group rehearsals.... anything noisy To get attention

[levighi]

Dress up each class for a song to step to the middle and perform in some matchy look, eg R1 little donkey in brown, R2 away in the manager with stars in their hands- whatever they can sing and looks cute. Teach all the songs so there’s volume. String it all together with 2-3 lines inbetween songs from narrators whilst a few others pose in costume. Eg ‘Mary got to the stable tired and weary’. Time filled, job done. Most the rehearsals you can leave to teachers to just practice songs in class with just a few altogether bits. 90% carol singling, just 10% mumble and shuffling.

[charliesweb]

We've got 55 YR/1 this year. I haven't even chosen one yet. I'm doomed aren't I

[Lookingsparkly]

Start rehearsing the songs in September! Get going! I speak from many years experience as nativity ‘director’.

[viques]

the sparkles


If you know someone with a lot of cats you could get some herding practice in..........

You also need to get all TAs on side,especially the ones with set to stun long range laser eye qualifications.

[Sewingbea]

Pleased to see that you're already following my advice @TheSparklesAreCalling

[TheSparklesAreCalling]

Oh anyone with wisdom of off-Broadway ensemble pieces is welcome. Expectations seem scarily high, the cast are unreasonably reluctant and alcohol seems like a necessity.

In exciting news, I have selected my Mary and Joseph- only another 118 parts to allocate

[friskybivalves]

We had many blades of grass and grains of sand. Blooming difficult to find green/yellow t shirts in winter.

[viques]

If you have a singing and dancing leading star make sure his base costume (sparkly dads shirt buttoned up the back) is buttoned properly or he will be dancing in his superman pants.......

Check with the innkeepers parents that they have not booked him in for a circumcision two weeks before the performance, so that although healed he is a bit sensitive and has developed the habit of holding material away from his crotch......


Make sure that Baby Jesus' swaddling clothes are sewn on very firmly in case a bored Mary removes them .


Find the box of nativity outfits at least three weeks before you need them to allow time for refurbishment, labelling,washing and ironing.

There is no need to sing all the verses of away in a manger. One will do.

[LoonyLunaLoo]

Agree with having them all at the side of the stage. DS was an angel in his reception nativity (and he’s never quite got over it!) and complained that he had to sit in the corridor til right at the end. I thought he was being dramatic but no, he didn’t come on until the end and had spent every rehearsal for weeks sitting in the corridor.

Yes casting is very political, we always choose the ones who you’d least expect to get the part (as long as they’re not criers!) as there’s plenty of time for the confident, popular ones to get picked for everything!

[Fuzzyspringroll]

We'll be attempting our school's first ever nativity.
So far, I've got one child, who wants to be God. God is not actually on the cast list.
I've got another, who would like to play the baby. Ahem...no. I've also got one, who is desperate to be a werewolf. Also not on the cast list.
I introduced the whole thing. One of them got up and walked over to my colleague and started with: "Does everyone have to...", which was interrupted by me staring at her and going, "Everybody is taking part!" (Several children in my class have the tendency to try and get out of everything, be it PE, PHSE, circle time or anything else they might consider an inconvenience.)
We've only got 26 kids, 17 of whom don't speak English. There are lots of sheep and angels in our play. The lead role is being done by two children,...who also don't speak much English, but are at least happy to try and learn the lines.
I have two, who point blank refused to do anything and went off to sulk in a corner. I've now cast them as trees. If they want to sulk in a corner, they might as well be dressed up while they are sulking.
We'll do lots of singing (they like the songs at least) and dancing...and well, attempted acting. I doubt that the parents will mind the lack of dialogue. Most of my class are amazing but they are a really bonkers lot and we'll see how this turns out in the end.

[Sewingbea]

@unicorncupcake has it covered I think. Try and persuade the class teachers to practice songs in class so your rehearsals are about the acting/ stage positioning rather than lots and lots of joyless endless singing of Away in a Manger.
@MrsIronfoundersson I feel your pain, DD1 was always a sheep/ camel/ Christmas person, and, one especially stunning year, a flame of the camp fire DD2 has a great reading voice and usually had a substantial part. Both now in secondary so no Nativity for us this year.

[Di11y]

ours did donate £2 from parents to fund plain white t shirt and they did block decorating in class.

they did a particular nativity song CD and had children sitting on benches and the floor and only going on stage when it was their song, and singing from sides too.

[velocitygirl7]

Just remember, however shit you may think it is on the day, all the parents will think it's wonderful.
That's how I get through it

[MrsIronfoundersson]

My DS did an AMAZING job as Stable Cat #2 in his Reception year (not even Stable Cat #1, fgs)!

[unicorncupcake]

Ooh I did 8 years of two nativities a year (a KS1 and an EYFS one each year, around 60-80 kids in each)

Give the speaking parts to the oldest year group and have the younger ones sitting at the front/sides of the stage throughout - they stand up and sing the songs/do actions. Plain black or white t shirts and tinsel halos and you’re good to go.
Ask the class teachers who read nicely and will learn things.
Keep it simple.
Keep most kids on stage most of the time, if you can-saves supervision issues.
Practice more than you think you need to.
Cover everyone in glitter and/or fairy lights.
Split up the narrator part and number them and they just narrate in order.
Have loads of angels and sheep