Kids and Teens ( How to Organise a Christmas Play at Your School )
10 Steps to a Successful School Christmas Play
The school Christmas play is the highlight of the year for many children and their parents. However, from the teacher's perspective it can be pretty stressful trying to get everything (and everyone) organised in time for the big day. This article explains how to organise a Christmas play at your school, helping you ensure that the process runs as smoothly as possible whether it's your first time getting involved or you're a seasoned nativity director looking for fresh tips.
Organising a Christmas Play at Your School
1. Don't stress. Be realistic - these are children, not professional actors. If you strive for perfection you'll just end up placing unnecessary pressure on them, and it won't be fun anymore. Plus, it's the little quirks that make the school Christmas play what it is.
2. Don't leave it until the last minute. When organising a Christmas play at your school, the last minute panic is virtually inevitable. Keep stress to a minimum by making sure everyone understands their roles by the end of term 3 at the very latest. This will give them time to familiarise themselves with the script over the break, making the rehearsals more constructive when they return for the final term.
3. Ask around for help. At around the same time, why not send a letter out to parents and other teachers asking for volunteers? The more you can share the workload, the better, and there are nearly always parents who will happily help with costumes, props and staging. Try getting music, art and drama teachers involved, too.
4. Find a brilliant script. Rather than doing the same, traditional school Christmas play year in, year out, why not try something a bit different? There are many wonderful children's Christmas plays to choose from, some of them hilariously funny, and many of them still manage to retain the more fundamental aspects of the Nativity story. By choosing a pre-written Christmas play script you can save yourself a great deal of time and hassle, and many come with backing CDs, so you don't even need to be musically gifted - just enthusiastic.
5. Pick your cast with due care. The introverts in your group are unlikely to feel comfortable in the major roles, while the extroverts will get itchy feet unless they're given plenty to do. Read through the Christmas play script carefully before assigning roles, and hold auditions if necessary, taking the individual talents of each child into account. If you have a particularly strong singer, give them the solo part; if there's a great dancer, give them a more active role. Don't forget to select understudies for the major roles in case someone should fall ill or get an attack of the nerves on the night.
6. Plan everything. Timetable in dates for all major rehearsals leading up to the show and let any helpers know ASAP so they can free up these times in their diaries. By having a clear schedule and sticking to it, you can ensure that the play is neither under- nor over-rehearsed. You want children to feel confident in their roles, but not bored of them, by the time the Christmas play comes around. Make sure you have at least one dress rehearsal in advance of the big day so that any problems with costumes or staging can be ironed out.
7. Be super duper organised. This coincides with my previous point, but as well as designating time to practices, you should also figure out roughly what will be covered in each session. Some might involve the whole cast, some just the chorus and some just the major characters. If you have enough helpers, it might be easiest to get everyone together initially then split them off into groups.
8. Keep it simple. Unless you have loads of time and help available, don't be too ambitious with the set. Changing the backdrop every few minutes can detract from the show rather than adding to it, and it's the little troupe that everyone's there to see - not the fancy artwork.
9. Talking of distractions... Make sure you lay the ground rules before the show begins. Do a little speech at the beginning thanking parents for coming and gently reminding them to turn off their phones. If you're worried that camera flashes might distract the cast, have 'photo shoots' at the beginning and end, and ask parents to refrain from taking pictures during the show itself.
10. Say thank you! At the end, thank the children for all their hard work and encourage multiple rounds of applause. Don't forget to thank all the parents and teachers involved, especially those who have gone out of their way to help - a bunch of flowers or box of chocolates will go a long way to making them feel like their hard work has been appreciated (and might encourage them to get involved next year, too!)
You should now be well on your way to understanding how to organise a Christmas play at your school in order that the experience should be as enjoyable as possible for the children - and as stress free as possible for yourself. Best of luck, and most importantly, don't forget point no. 1!
The school Christmas play is the highlight of the year for many children and their parents. However, from the teacher's perspective it can be pretty stressful trying to get everything (and everyone) organised in time for the big day. This article explains how to organise a Christmas play at your school, helping you ensure that the process runs as smoothly as possible whether it's your first time getting involved or you're a seasoned nativity director looking for fresh tips.
Organising a Christmas Play at Your School
1. Don't stress. Be realistic - these are children, not professional actors. If you strive for perfection you'll just end up placing unnecessary pressure on them, and it won't be fun anymore. Plus, it's the little quirks that make the school Christmas play what it is.
2. Don't leave it until the last minute. When organising a Christmas play at your school, the last minute panic is virtually inevitable. Keep stress to a minimum by making sure everyone understands their roles by the end of term 3 at the very latest. This will give them time to familiarise themselves with the script over the break, making the rehearsals more constructive when they return for the final term.
3. Ask around for help. At around the same time, why not send a letter out to parents and other teachers asking for volunteers? The more you can share the workload, the better, and there are nearly always parents who will happily help with costumes, props and staging. Try getting music, art and drama teachers involved, too.
4. Find a brilliant script. Rather than doing the same, traditional school Christmas play year in, year out, why not try something a bit different? There are many wonderful children's Christmas plays to choose from, some of them hilariously funny, and many of them still manage to retain the more fundamental aspects of the Nativity story. By choosing a pre-written Christmas play script you can save yourself a great deal of time and hassle, and many come with backing CDs, so you don't even need to be musically gifted - just enthusiastic.
5. Pick your cast with due care. The introverts in your group are unlikely to feel comfortable in the major roles, while the extroverts will get itchy feet unless they're given plenty to do. Read through the Christmas play script carefully before assigning roles, and hold auditions if necessary, taking the individual talents of each child into account. If you have a particularly strong singer, give them the solo part; if there's a great dancer, give them a more active role. Don't forget to select understudies for the major roles in case someone should fall ill or get an attack of the nerves on the night.
6. Plan everything. Timetable in dates for all major rehearsals leading up to the show and let any helpers know ASAP so they can free up these times in their diaries. By having a clear schedule and sticking to it, you can ensure that the play is neither under- nor over-rehearsed. You want children to feel confident in their roles, but not bored of them, by the time the Christmas play comes around. Make sure you have at least one dress rehearsal in advance of the big day so that any problems with costumes or staging can be ironed out.
7. Be super duper organised. This coincides with my previous point, but as well as designating time to practices, you should also figure out roughly what will be covered in each session. Some might involve the whole cast, some just the chorus and some just the major characters. If you have enough helpers, it might be easiest to get everyone together initially then split them off into groups.
8. Keep it simple. Unless you have loads of time and help available, don't be too ambitious with the set. Changing the backdrop every few minutes can detract from the show rather than adding to it, and it's the little troupe that everyone's there to see - not the fancy artwork.
9. Talking of distractions... Make sure you lay the ground rules before the show begins. Do a little speech at the beginning thanking parents for coming and gently reminding them to turn off their phones. If you're worried that camera flashes might distract the cast, have 'photo shoots' at the beginning and end, and ask parents to refrain from taking pictures during the show itself.
10. Say thank you! At the end, thank the children for all their hard work and encourage multiple rounds of applause. Don't forget to thank all the parents and teachers involved, especially those who have gone out of their way to help - a bunch of flowers or box of chocolates will go a long way to making them feel like their hard work has been appreciated (and might encourage them to get involved next year, too!)
You should now be well on your way to understanding how to organise a Christmas play at your school in order that the experience should be as enjoyable as possible for the children - and as stress free as possible for yourself. Best of luck, and most importantly, don't forget point no. 1!
Bronwyn is an expert writer on children's songs and plays.
If you're looking for a suitable script, go to http://www.outoftheark.co.nz. Out of the Ark supplies a wide range of fantastic Christmas play scripts written by leading children's songwriters, complete with backing and vocal tracks.
If you're looking for a suitable script, go to http://www.outoftheark.co.nz. Out of the Ark supplies a wide range of fantastic Christmas play scripts written by leading children's songwriters, complete with backing and vocal tracks.
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