Nativity

It's that time of year again.  All across the country parents are being asked to provide (sometimes bizarre) costumes, sit through plays they can't quite hear the words to, listen to out of tune and out of time singing , mop up the tears of their disappointed child, who didn't get the part they wanted.  But no matter what the quality of the performance those same parents will love it.

Our school nativity had it's first performance today. The film Nativity doesn't even begin to capture the true humour of the situation.  There is always a child yawning their way through the whole play; always one looking the wrong way or standing in the wrong place; always one picking their nose; usually one not wearing their costume because they've had a toileting accident just before the show.  It maybe just in performances that I teach the singing to but there is always at least one enthusiastic singer who is 2 seconds behind everyone else.
Sometimes, things go really wrong.  A child may cry, or say a rude word and I remember a child actually falling off the stage one year.

Watching today's play I started to wonder if the part you are given in the school Nativity play has any effect on your future life.  My daughter was always upset with her role in every school play, as she was the narrator.  It seems strange now that she wants to study journalism and become a narrator for the world.  I remember being given the part of  'Mother'.  I went home and cried.  I wanted to be an angel or Mary.  Both of those roles were non-speaking parts and I had a lot to say.  My son was a King, in the days when he hated to perform.  We have a photo of him looking really miserable.  The whole situation was made much worse by the fact that he had to stand on the top of a set of blocks and he hated heights.  I don't think he is likely to become a King.  Do teachers, knowingly type-cast their children or is it just an accident?  The Shepherds are always a bit dopey; the angels are pretty, blond but not very bright; the Magi are usually quite serious; camels have a sense of humour.


Our school Nativity, was brilliantly written by a very talented teacher, who made the whole story about how stressed she gets being a teacher at Christmas.  I hope she is sitting at home now, working her way through the big bar of chocolate that she referenced in the play singing (to the tune of Donald Where's Your Trousers)
"I get this job now every year
When it's over you'll hear me cheer!"