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| January - February 2008 | Volume 57, Issue 1 |
A Gift that Keeps Giving - - by Evelyn Gulick
The musical, "Simple gifts of Christmas" by Jean Anne Shafferman with music and lyrics by Steve Kupferschmid and Jeanne Ann Shafferman, was performed twice during the Christmas Season at Olivet Church.
The story was a bit different than Christmas pageants in the past. Four narrators set the pace in this pageant and its cast was a donkey, mother cow, horses, shepherds, curly horned sheep, angels, camels, and Wise Men who assisted Mary, Joseph and the new Baby Jesus while traveling to Bethlehem a resting in a stable there.
As overall director of the event, I enjoyed the fresh "twist" of non-humans being a part of the age-old and beautiful Christmas story. And I had the opportunity to watch the cast grow in character, whether animal or human, as they worked together to tell the story, and in turn taught the love of animals is as\ gift as important as loving Jesus and each other.
Rehearsals were fun. Having a cast of all ages breaks down any and all walls between the young and old and brings mutual respect. This pageant is a gift that keeps giving. Mutual respect of all ages is a precious gift.
Casting the production was easy. Olivet has children, youth and adults who like to sing, and get into "character". What's difficult is finding time to rehearse. Personal/family calendars are just jammed with events and responsibilities during the holidays, yet we managed to get enough rehearsal in to pull it off. Thanks parents, cast and all helpers.
Lessons learned were memorizing dialogue, learning songs/lyrics, wearing unusual costumes and overcoming shyness, as well as following directions and projecting voices. Should I add the gift of keeping quiet while waiting, but I think that needs just a little bit more learning time.
Fortunately, theater and music teach organizational skills and basic theater rules which help in life. If learned, per-formers experience improved self esteem. Hopefully, each cast member knows they did a good job …they did.
Praising this cast is very easy. Each one gave a great deal to the pageant and I'm thankful for their effort. Find the cast list below. Remember to thank them again for their performances and for their gift to Olivet.
However, there are others to be praised- -mothers Arlene Wamsley, Christine McGary, Mary Ellen Nunes, Susan Sennholz and Rebecca Lozada, who attended rehearsals, served as dressers, and pushed the cast on stage on time. A father, Stewart Cochran, jumped in and added his strong voice to the camels because there was need; a grandmother, Sandy Templeton, donned a costume and became a singing shepherd. Also, the Deacons cleared the stage and helped with lighting and sound. Pastor Bob became King Herod, and he supported the cast.
Jeanne Leuenberger's animal masks are sheer works of art. She took on the task willingly and her gift of art made a huge difference in the production. The masks are treasures and will be used again in the future.
Hands-on support from co-directors Nicole Vogel and Matthew Silvius was fantastic. Responsibilities were shared, and Matt our music guru accompanied the pageant and wrote additional music for the overture and two of the songs for violinist Matthew Sennholz and Nicolas Cochran on trumpet. Both are talented musicians.
| Christmas Pageant Cast- -in order of appearance | |
|---|---|
| Donkey - Jonathan Rindos | Angels -Katie, Piatt, Katherine Ellmaker, Kassandra Wilson, Breanne Imboden, Arriana Lozada |
| Horses - Nathan Finch, Stephen Finch, Stephanie Sennholz | Camels: Stewart Cochran, Andrew Cochran, Colin Piatt |
| Curly Horned Sheep - Hunter McGary | Wise Men - Jerry Kemmerer, Charles Gulick, Robert Rindos |
| Mary - Nicole Vogel | Mother Cow - Jenna Imboden |
| Joseph - Christopher Vogel | Shepherds - Dalton McGary, Sandy Templeton, Lucas Derr, Jayden Ofray |
| Baby Jesus - Kylee Vogel | Innkeeper - Joe Carnes |
| Narrators: (the glue) - Nan Laberteaux, Pat Kemmerer Amber Wilson, Pastor Bob. | |
