Pageant celebrates nativity
The donkey is being stubborn this year but overall, the First Christmas Nativity Pageant, a live pageant with more than 100 cast and crew (including the four-legged players), is ready to bring the message of peace on Earth to Victorians today, Friday and Saturday at Topaz Park.
Presented by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of LatterDay Saints, the pageant celebrates its 31st year by re-telling the story of the birth of Jesus Christ according to the New Testament.
The live pageant, with four shows a night, typically attracts an estimated 5,000 visitors over three days. This year, the cast includes three babies who will take turns portraying the newborn Jesus.
“Some of the people now playing Joseph had, at one time, been cast in the role of baby Jesus,” said Lyanne Sanderson, who, along with her husband, Graham, has been organizing the annual celebration for the past 26 years. “Their newborns are now, in turn, playing the infant Jesus Christ.”
Other well-known characters in the play include Joseph and Mary, King Herod, the angel Gabriel, the three kings, soldiers and shepherds — all dressed in era-authentic clothing. The outdoor set recreates a stable in Jerusalem.
A menagerie of live animals such as sheep, llamas and donkeys, as well as stage equipment, is loaned by community partners and suppliers.
Seating includes uncovered bleachers and chairs set around an improvised stage. Best to dress for the weather, as the pageant plays rain or shine.
The show is a gift to the community by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, who do not ask for donations or charge admission.
They suggest people make a donation to their favourite charity or food bank instead.
There are four 30-minute performances at 6:30, 7, 7:30 and 8 p.m. tonight through Saturdray at the south end of Topaz Park on Topaz Avenue. Visitors are asked to enter from Quadra Street. Parking is free at the park or the adjacent S.J. Willis Alternative School. The venue is wheelchairfriendly and public toilets are located at north end of the park.
For information, go to christmasnativity.ca.