Center Stage Youth Theatre

Posts Tagged ‘Best Christmas Pageant’

Welcome to 2011 everybody!  Wow – 2010 ended for Center Stage in a whirlwind of activity as we mounted our first big show…The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.  As I have directed this one now 8 times – and still love it every bit as much – the actual show was not a mystery to me but the process of getting the show up and running here in my new home town was quite an adventure.  But folks came absolutely out of the woodwork to help, and the feeling of joy I think people felt as we all worked together to help the kids shine was wonderful.  I am extremely grateful, and I very much look forward to our continuing adventure as we approach the rest of the season: classes, a musical in the spring, summer camps and Shakespeare this summer.

Here we go!

I have this evening cast 26 delightful shiny faces in Center Stage’s first big show, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.  I was a little worried yesterday as there were only 8 kids.  8 Delightful kids to be sure, but only 8.  And today they kept walking in off the street until until at last we had the group we needed.

And ok, yes, I still have no stage manager, set designer, tech director or even a producer.  But we have a beautiful, talented cast.

The rest will come.

Center Stage Youth Theatre announces Auditions for Barbara Robinson’s The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Saturday October 16 and Sunday October 17 from 2:00 – 5:00 at Glenforest School on Harbor Drive in West Rutland.  There are parts for up to 50 children and teenagers ages 5 – 18, and no preparation or experience is necessary to audition.  Performances will be held in the Glenforest School Auditorium December 9, 10 and 12.  If cast, there is a $35 .00 fee per cast member or a $60.00 fee per family to help cover productions costs such as sets, costumes and script royaties.  For more information call Center Stage director Susan Scaccia at 803-206-4924, or email her at rssb1228@yahoo.com.

I am hoping to get the rights for Barbara Robinson’s hilarious play about the true meaning of Christmas, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever for Center Stage’s first show this December.  I need to get the go ahead from Glenforest School and work out the scheduling for the auditorium, and then we can get started on this project with auditions in
October.

I have directed this show many times and it has become something of a tradition in the Vermont town I’m from.  I would love to see the same tradition started here.  It’s so much fun to see many of the same kids year after year in the show, playing different parts as they grow up into different roles and helping the new actors out with their parts.

To keep the show fresh I always added something new each year.  The challenge was a sweet one and we had some wonderful times making sometimes silly and sometimes poignant changes to the action.

It’s a great starter show too, as the costumes and set are very simple, and we can use 50 or more kids of all different ages.  And the messages the show tells are timeless and beautiful.   And so funny.