Christmas Musicals for Church
Issue link: http://read.jwpepper.com/i/144439
149 Coming of Christmas" and display them on the walls. You could also ask your entire congregation (all ages) to submit responses to the question: "How do you know Christmas is coming each year?" These responses (and any accompanying photographs) might be mounted on a wall or corridors for everyone to enjoy. nl y Dress Your choir can wear formal concert attire, choir robes, or festive holiday attire. If you choose the latter option, a good principle to follow is the restricted use of primary greens and reds. Ask your choir to create a base costume of black and white. This can include dress slacks, skirts, blouses, sweaters, etc. Primary red and green accessories (vests, scarves, sweaters, mufflers, hats, etc.) are then added to the base costume. You will be amazed how "bright" and clearly defined your choir suddenly becomes, especially if they are standing in front of a lit backdrop. [Do not weaken and allow ivory, burgundy, and olive! Black, white, red and green . . . only!] MEDIA re vi ew O As a rule, soloists may elect to dress slightly more formal than the choir, and the narrators may dress slightly less formal. (If your narrators will be sitting on tall stools, be sure they are dressed appropriately.) If you will be costuming Biblical figures for a nativity sequence, they should be dressed in first century Judean attire. Choose robes of deeper natural tones (rust, deep green, caramel, etc.) so that angels, stars, and other lighting effects will all appear that much brighter. Remember that the best Biblical costume fabrics are usually large weave, knobby napped, textured material for the Holy family and shepherds. The drapery and bedspread sections of thrift stores often yield terrific amounts of material at extremely low prices. Create layers for your characters' costumes by fashioning coats with open sleeves and wide, multi-textured sashes and belts. Fo rP An excellent Accompaniment DVD has been created to enhance your presentation of Christmas Is Coming. Combining contemporary and Biblical images and lyrics, this resource will provide a first-note-to-last visual portrait of the Christmas events depicted in the musical. Although the DVD has been designed to play straight through, you may certainly elect to pause it between songs to add additional material. Your decision to use the Accompaniment DVD will impact all of your other production choices since a media-filled screen naturally becomes the visual center of the performance space. If possible, place your choir beneath or next to the screen so that the audience's visual focus isn't split. You will also want to control the sanctuary lighting so that the screen can be easily read from every seat in the auditorium, including any balconies. A special set of notes addressing the navigation of the DVD and coordinating the possible use of stem mixes appears at the conclusion of these production notes. SONG-BY-SONG STAGING SUGGESTIONS If you are using the Accompaniment DVD, you will have a consistent visual illustration of the story and message of Christmas Is Coming and you will not need to add any additional performance enhancements. You don't want your program to become a crowded montage of "mixed mediums." (Remember, the audience can only look at one thing at a time.) However, you can elect to carefully represent certain elements of the story when appropriate. And if you are not using the Accompaniment DVD, you're encouraged to offer a visual representation of the events in the musical with actors and other individuals. The following set of staging suggestions are meant to help you make these creative decisions.