The Making of a Holiday Tradition (part 7)

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever - Reflection

The Christmas trees are bagged and piled high, the robes folded and stacked, the props are sorted and crated. The 23rd performance of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” is now history rich with an array of memories woven into the tradition of the season. Here is just a sampling of some of our most treasured memories.

First, a conversation between some of preschool Little Angels. It went something like…
“You know Jesus was a real person.”
“No he’s not. He’s dead.”
“Yeah, that is why he is a doll.”
“And I touched his head.”

When Emily stepped forward to sing a duet with Nathalie there was a clear difference in height between the two singers. Emily was concerned that Nathalie would be not be heard through the hand held microphone so she knelt down next to Nathalie so each of them would be heard equally.

When Stella, our beloved Grace Bradley and our senior cast member, arrived at Maple Ridge Estate to join her fellow cast members in a performance of our pageant scene there was no costume for her. I had left it and its back up in Studio 2 at BYPC. I was horrified that I could have let her down in that way. She explained that she had a shawl and that she looked like she could be a shepherd. I apologized. Stella said “You are human. You made a mistake. It is really OK.” Then, on her own initiative, she waited to enter with the shepherds. And in that moment I witnessed a gracious and elegant young woman stepping onto the stage out of her childhood and it took my breath away.

When Anna and Allison stepped forward to sing their duet they turned to each other with a knowing and loving in their glance reflective of their friendship. It was a reminder of the power of friendship and how it can lift each of us through the most difficult times.

And when the audience of enthusiastic and grateful seniors joined their voices with ours to sing “Joy to the World” our assistant director and choreographer, Jess, was dissolved in tears moved by the pure joy and love that we were all feeling in that moment. It brought an image of her own Nana who lives in a senior community in Florida and how much she would have relished singing her favorite Christmas carols with a youth filled choir. Our cast received a spontaneous and most heartfelt standing ovation.
The friendships, the acts of kindness, the courage of young performers, the lessons learned, are forever in our hearts and minds. The kinship that we experienced defines the tradition of the season and that of BYPC.

Over the past few weeks we have shared some of our students’ favorite holiday traditions through our Facebook and Instagram pages. I would like to add mine.

When I was young my father and I would watch “Miracle on 34th Street” each Christmas season. It was not always easy because there were no Netflix or On Demand services. We were at the mercy of a handful of networks. So one year we stayed up until 2AM to watch the classic movie together. My Dad is no longer with us but once BYPC is safely wrapped for the year I will light the fire, the candles, and our Christmas tree.

I will curl up on my sofa and watch “Miracle on 34th Street" and my Dad will be with me again. For it is tradition that warms the heart and comforts the soul. It ties the generations of the past to those of the present and guides us into our future. It is the power of the tradition that reminds us that the true meaning of Christmas is simply - love.

As I sign off from this blog series “The Making of a Holiday Tradition” I want to thank all of you for joining us on this treasured journey. I wish you and your family all the joy and the comfort that the tradition of the season brings.

Merry Christmas and a most Blessed and Happy New Year.
Ann Davison

The Making of a Holiday Tradition (part 6)

The Making of a Holiday Tradition (part 5)

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever - The Ensemble

The ensemble is the backbone of every successful production.  Ensemble members must be talented, focused, disciplined and creative. They sing the harmonies, they dance the production numbers and they breathe energy into every scene.  The ensemble is invaluable.  

Last year BYPC brought a remarkable performance of “Newsies” to the Derryfield stage. The story is inspirational.  The music is compelling.  And the dance is the star.  And all of that happens through the ensemble.  Check out this photo.  The intensity and energy that exudes from the ensemble was palpable providing the dimension and power that lifted our performance to pure magnificence. 

With a cast of 52 talented performers the BYPC’s 2019 production of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” is double cast so each actor has the opportunity to play an acting role and to play an ensemble role.  The experience for our young actor is immeasurable and provides unique challenges.  Here are some insights from our cast.

So Mrs Armstrong, we would like to amend your statement that “there are no small parts only small actors” to that there are no small parts - period.  The ensemble rocks. 

The Making of a Holiday Tradition (part 4)

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever - Gladys Herdman

In the words of Charlie Bradley, “Gladys isn’t big but she’s fast and she’s mean, and she bites.”

And yes, sadly, Gladys hits too. As the youngest and the scrappiest of the Herdman clan Gladys is a survivor of her own life.  She is intimidating, cunning, and resourceful.  After all she is the Herdman who pierced Imogene’s ears which is stunning for one so young. 
She has been portrayed by some of our youngest cast members who delight in bringing life to this feisty fireball.   Here are some of our current and past Gladys Herdmans broadcasting her now trademark proclamation.  “Shazam! Out of the black of night with horrible vengeance. The Mighty Marvo.”  

“Shazam!” In one raucous and momentous utterance we are awakened to the fact that Gladys Herdman is just a child.  She is one unshakable and tough child but she is nonetheless a child.  An innocent who drifts into her imagination fed by stories read from a comic book to make sense of the events that Grace Bradley chronicles from the Christmas story.  Her viewpoint is honest. She cuts through the poetic prose and boils it down to one simple and direct message.  “It’s Jesus.  He’s in the barn.  Go on go see him.” And she wins our hearts.  

“Hey, hey unto you a child is born!”  This child, as every child,  brings the message of hope filling our hearts with love. And this child, Gladys Herdman, invites each of us to experience the joy of the season as only a child can.  Shazam!

The Making of a Holiday Tradition (part 3)

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever - Mrs Armstrong and Entourage

Mrs Armstrong and Her Entourage

Ah Mrs Armstrong. Some may call her bombastic while others see her as a gift from the angels themselves. After all she runs the bazaar, the potluck supper, and she directs the Christmas pageant year after year after year. Her directing philosophy is summed up in her trademark slogan - “There are no small parts only small actors”. She has it down to a science - every detail, every line, every note, every halo. And it is all done exactly as she commands until one day - disaster hits.

With one slip of a step Mrs Armstrong finds herself in traction at the local hospital instead of at the helm of the town’s Christmas. Rumors of her accident spread like wildfire with even the idea of cancelling Christmas itself. But calmer heads prevailed. Grace Bradley’s calm head to be exact. Grace volunteers to direct the annual Christmas Pageant and the rest of the holiday to-do list is reassigned to Mrs Armstrong’s entourage - commonly known as the town gossip mill.

The Gossip Mill

Try as they may even this intrepid group of town gossips are no match for Grace Bradley’s belief in the true meaning of Christmas and her determination to make her production truly, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. And in the end even Mrs Armstrong and her entourage feel compelled to applaud the efforts of Grace and her spirited cast of characters.

Over the years the very first parts that I feel compelled to cast are Grace, Beth, Alice, Gladys, Imogene and Mrs Armstrong. Each of these characters are pivotal to the arc of Barbara Robinson’s delightful story but Mrs Armstrong is particularly challenging.

She is outrageous, bombastic, a know-it-all and just plain fun to bring to life. Mrs Armstrong demands that our actors let go and “play her big”. She is often loud, raspy, and undeniably delicious to portray for our actors who accept the challenge of throwing caution to the wind and are willing to go a bit over the top. Over the years our Mrs Armstrong has been in a wheel chair with a head full of curlers draped in a fuzzy bathrobe with a wide ranging selection of accents that span the globe. And although the costuming, props, and accent of this year’s portrayal of Mrs Armstrong are still in process our actors are sure to delight as they strive to leave their mark on this begrudgingly lovable character. It is not to be missed. Ah Mrs Armstrong.

Don’t miss Mrs Armstrong on December 6 and 7! Get your tickets today, https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/35009.

The Making of a Holiday Tradition (part 2)

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever - Beth Bradley

Wikipedia defines the fourth wall as a “performance convention in which an invisible, imagined wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes, the actors act as if they cannot”. At BYPC we train our actors at an early age about the fourth wall and in our more advanced classes our actors learn methods and techniques to use the fourth wall to enhance their storytelling.

Rule number one - you never break the fourth wall. Unless, of course, you are the narrator. Beth Bradley is a narrator. Over the years I have discovered the power of the role of Beth in my development of BYPC actors. She is definitely one of those break through characters.

The role of Beth Bradley is uniquely challenging because she starts the show by reminiscing with her audience about her experience as a part of the town’s Christmas pageant. From her very first utterance she needs to grab the attention of each audience member to set the tone of the relationship that each of our cast of storytellers will rely upon. She needs to be relaxed, conversational, charming, relatable and at the same time - compelling. Not an easy task.

But it gets even tougher because she moves from narrating about the story to being a character within the story. She definitely needs a score card to know when, what, and just who she is at any given moment. She is simply our story’s glue.

Our past Beth Bradleys have gone onto many storied careers in their adult lives including Kaleigh Cronin who has earned herself a successful Broadway career. A few years back I saw Kaleigh in “Cabaret” on Broadway and had visions of her in a Beth Bradley velvet dress with her red hair pulled back in a bow - a memory that she and I shared backstage after the show. For her it sparked a love of performing casting her on a magnificent journey of performing leaving an enduring legacy at BYPC.

Fulfilling Kaleigh’s legacy are some of our current actors who have taken on the challenge of bringing Beth
Bradley onto the stage. Here’s what they have learned from the endearing character of Beth.

The Making of a Holiday Tradition (part 1)

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever - Grace Bradley

Grace Bradley is hands down my favorite character - ever.  She is loving, honorable, and determined. She is a woman of her word fulfilling the most challenging commitments with integrity and a touch of kindness.  And her story parallels mine.

When we meet the Bradley family we learn that Grace’s children are campaigning to unburden themselves from the drudgery of performing in the town’s annual Christmas pageant.  What they experience as torture Grace views as a sacred holiday tradition until the phone rings.

It is Edna McCarthy asking Grace to take over the direction of the Christmas Pageant because its director had been hospitalized.  Much to the horror of her children Grace agrees and what ensues is the delightful story of a sleepy town’s mundane Christmas Pageant being magically transformed when it is invaded by a family of rag tag Herdmans.  And what should have been the worst Christmas Pageant ever becomes “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”.  And it was all because Grace said, “Yes.”

In 1996 Bedford’s McKelvie School housed grades 5 - 8 including my oldest daughter Kate.

When she enrolled at the school I dutifully completed the volunteer form listing my directorial experience.  Then one day my phone rang.  It was McKelvie’s Volunteer Coordinator asking me if I would direct the school’s musical.  The teacher who usually directed it was unable to fulfill his obligation that year and “If I did not do it the kids would not have a play.”  And like my friend Grace Bradley I said “Yes.”

We performed “Bye Bye Birdie” with over 70 students to enthusiastic crowds. It was a whole lot of work, a whole lot of stress, and whole lot of kids (none of them Herdmans). I loved it. It rekindled my passion for working with children and for my love of theatre. The week after the curtain closed on “Bye Bye Birdie” I founded The Bedford Youth Performing Company - a place for kids - all kids to belong. 

With one phone call both Grace Bradley and I made a life altering decision to honor a hometown tradition ensuring that it would continue motivated by our love of children - all children. And 23 years later I have dusted off those scripts once again to greet my ole friend Grace Bradley as we breathe life into her story of community and family, love and hope, acceptance and integrity, and tradition. Here’s to you Grace Bradley and to “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”.

Here are few words from one of my favorite actors, Stella Jaques, about portraying my favorite character - Grace Bradley.

The Making of a Holiday Tradition

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever - 2019

The holiday season with all of its trimmings and traditions is about to be upon us. In my family we have traditions around family gatherings, trips to Boston to see the lights, tree decorating,home cooked meals, and the reading of the “Polar Express”.

Here at BYPC our holiday season always begins with the performance of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”. The retelling of this magical holiday story began over 23 years ago when the Spencer family moved from Pennsylvania to Bedford, NH. They brought with them a love of theatre and a very talented musical theatre performer in their daughter Stephanie who graced our stage for all of the years that the Spencers lived in Bedford. The Spencers also brought a script from a community youth theatre company from their Pennsylvania home town. That script made me laugh and it touched my heart. I licensed the production for BYPC and we staged our first performance of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” in 1997.

A new tradition was born that has span 23 years and hundreds of performers. Our first performers are now grown and have families and professions of their own. They have gone into such fields as the arts, medicine, business, education, tech, public service, and journalism spanning the world. They carry with them the memory of their time telling the story of the Bradleys and the Herdmans reminding us of the true meaning of the season. And they have left a legacy that we carry forward to this day.

This year we have a record number of performers with multiple casts. Our performers hail from Bedford, Amherst, Merrimack, Goffstown, Manchester, Windham, Londonderry, Candia, Weare, New Boston, Lyndeborough, Mont Vernon, and Salem. And they range in ages 5 - 18 years old. Some of our performers are experiencing our holiday story for the first time but many of our performers have also made “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” a tradition in their families as they join us year after year.

Let me introduce our cast. Here are our new performers

(Bottom left to right) AJ, Luke, Rhys, Violet, Catherine, Ivy, Rylee,
Lily, Julia, Kaity, Catherine, Sienna, Maggie, Bella, Sophia, Cage
Grace, Katie, Emma, Hope, Paige, Lauren

These cast members have performed in our show for one - four years

Marin, Graham, Louisa, Nathalie, Brielyn, Brayden, Calla, Daniel
Teddy, Gabriel, Kayla, Scarlett, Oliver
Luke, Ava, Liam, Piper, Gabrielle, Emily, Annabelle, Chloe

These cast members have performed in our show for five - ten years

Ainsley, Izzy, Megan, Shannen, Allison, Annalise, Isabelle

And our Grace Bradley, senior Stella Jaques has performed for a whopping 13 years.

We are thrilled to have all of new and returning actors come together to invite you to join us in the holiday tradition of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”. And just like me you will laugh and you will tear as this tale touches your heart and for at least a moment remind you of the magic of the season. Join us on Friday December 6 at 7PM and Saturday December 7 at 1PM at The Derryfield School in Manchester. You may purchase your tickets at https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/35009.

The tradition continues.

Ann Davison
Executive Director