Christmas Musicals for Church
Issue link: https://read.jwpepper.com/i/787923
If you have creative kids who would like to collaborate in coming up with the actions for the verses, give them the freedom to try different things and see what works. However, depending on the experience level of your kids, you may feel more comfortable planning out the blocking/action ahead of time and then giving them specific instructions. Scene 2: Harper crosses to Coach Walker at the beginning of this scene. For the rest of Scene 2, plan out the kids' movements so that you create interesting stage composition with the placement of the kids. A few can sit on their blocks—perhaps one is sitting criss-cross, another with knees pulled up tight or lying across it. One, such as Jeremy, might be doing exercises against a block, and another might be trying to balance while standing on one foot. Direct Sara to enter from stage left when Esther says, "I promise…it is NOT a problem." Song 2- "Look Up": During verse one, Sara walks around the stage looking down at her phone, running into people and things. She doesn't look up until the last "Look Up" of the first chorus. For verse two, the kids can use the wooden balance beam, moving it to center stage to act out the story of Jesus walking on the water and Peter walking toward Him. Coach Walker can help move the beam into place. All of the kids (Sara included), sing the second chorus, looking up each time they sing, "Look up!" You can also add unified movements for the children's choir. During the bridge, the kids alternately look down at their phones and move around the stage, pointing and taking turns warning each other of what they are about to run into. Coach Walker can join the kids in doing the movements, watch them enthusiastically, and help to move blocks to the right places for the snapshots. Scene 3: The kids each find a block to lean against or sit/stand on during the dialogue in this scene, as if needing to take a break. Song 3 - "Hear It in the Ringtone": This is a great song to choreograph with all the kids' cell phones, holding them out to the audience, high in the air, up to the ear (or their neighbor's ear!), etc. The kids in the choir can even do "the wave" by holding up their phones and then putting them down. Be creative with different groupings of the five main characters for the verses, directing two to sit on one block together and then perhaps three to huddle around another block. They can move to different blocks and groupings to create snapshots of various scenes, such as someone miming driving a car for a "motor running", another using her hand to make a "bird chirping", and another who mimes blowing a whistle while the others plug up their ears. Like the other songs, Coach Walker may either join the kids in their movements or watch enthusiastically. Or, he could be taking notes on his clipboard. 55 For Preview Only