Last Minute Christmas Play Ideas
Have You Left Your School Nativity Play Until the Last Minute?
As December approaches, so too does the season of nativity plays – a tradition in schools throughout the country, and one that is great fun for pupils and members of the wider community who come to watch. However, if you’ve left the planning for your school nativity play until the last minute, don’t worry – it’s still not too late to put on a great show!
If you’re looking into last minute Christmas play ideas, the sensible option is to get hold of some professionally written scripts and music. This will save you the hassle of having to start from scratch before you’ve even got to the point of considering casting and rehearsals.
Potential Last Minute Christmas Play Ideas
When you’re weighing up ideas for your Christmas play, there are a number of things to take into consideration. Firstly, depending on your local community and the cultures and backgrounds of your students, you will need to decide whether you are going for a traditional Christmas play or a secular one.
If your school is made up of a mixed faith or secular community, it might be best not to put on a traditional nativity play that focuses purely on Christian morality. On the other hand, a modern reinterpretation will help make the play more inclusive for all of your pupils and their parents.
However in a more traditional Christian community, then the nativity play in its traditional format would be suitable for the audience and those involved in the play. The decision should ultimately rest on which method would be the most inclusive of as many people as possible.
Last Minute Christmas Play Tips
– Use a narrator – if you’re really pushed for time when you’re planning your nativity play, using a narrator (possibly an older child, or one who is an accomplished reader and speaker) will help to drive the story. The narrator could be incorporated into the play in the form of a character, or alternatively this role could be spread amongst a number of pupils. Allowing children with larger parts to read from a script will help cut down on rehearsal time.
– Practice – even though time is short, rearranging your teaching schedule and devoting some time to rehearse the play will make children feel more comfortable when it comes to the performance itself.
– Choose familiar songs – one way that you can make things easier is to use familiar Christmas songs and carols that your pupils are likely to know already. Of course, you could add in a few extra ones to keep things interesting; just remember that the fewer new songs they have to learn, the smoother your play will go.
– Plan your rehearsals – if time is short, it’s important that you plan the rehearsals for your nativity play carefully so that you get the most out of the limited time you do have. Enlist the help of another teacher or a teaching assistant so that you can break parts down and work on different roles in small groups. Once each individual is comfortable with their part, bring everyone together to practice the performance as a group.
– Practise in the room in which the performance is to take place – this will help your pupils to get comfortable with their surroundings so that when the time comes to present the play to an audience, they will find it less daunting. You could also gradually increase the number of other people in the room as the play draws closer.