The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
directed by Rachael McDonald
Thurs.-Sat., Nov. 30-Dec. 16, 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 16, 2:00 p.m.
The Davies Foundation Auditorium
52 Church St., Kingston, ON
 Back left to right: Kieran Chenier, William Kerr, Charlie Vanstone, Anna Halowski, Madeline Kerr, Sophie Christopher, Corrin Lewis. Steps: Lilli McDonald, Katie Kerr, Madeline Hudson, Delaney Liesen, Meg Gibson. Front: Gwen Gunn, Marissa Kingston, Kyla McAuley-Stone, Gordie McDonald, Ellie Helmstaedt, Will Britton. Front of stage: Suzanne Kerr. |
 Left to right: Meg Gibson, Suzanne Kerr, Will Britton, Madeline Kerr 
Debbie Baker (left) and Ava Waugh 
Anna Halowski |
In this hilarious Christmas classic, a couple struggling to put on a church Christmas pageant is faced with casting the Herdman kids--probably the most inventively awful kids in history.
The Christmas pageant director finds herself in traction and has to call for backup. Grace Bradley agrees to take over. Then Grace's son Charlie makes a mistake. When the unruly Herdman children take his candy bar at school, he responds by bragging about his church's Christmas pageant and the fact that the minister, Reverend Hopkins, hands out sweets.
The Herdmans, never ones to pass up a chance at free goodies, show up to audition for the pageant. Cast in several major roles, they appear to be wreaking havoc on the Christmas story. There is talk the pageant will have to be cancelled. But in the end, some lessons are learned all round.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is based on a book that Barbara Robinson wrote in 1971. Robinson first published the story in McCall's magazine. She adapted it for the stage in 1982 and into a television movie that aired on ABC in 1983.
Cast |
|
| Mother | Suzanne Kerr |
| Father | Will Britton |
| Beth | Meg Gibson |
| Charlie | Madeline Kerr |
| Ralph | Charlie Vanstone |
| Imogene | Anna Halowski |
| Leroy | Gordie McDonald |
| Claude | Kyla McAuley-Stone |
| Ollie | Marissa Kingston |
| Gladys | Lilli McDonald |
| Alice | Sophie Christopher |
| Ms Slocum | Ava Waugh |
| Mrs Armstrong | Margi McKay |
| Mrs McCarthy | Debbie Baker |
| Maxine | Ellie Helmstaedt |
| Elmer | Kieren Chenier |
| Hobie | Corrin Lewis |
| Shirley | Tess Overvelde |
| Juanita | Gwen Gunn |
| Doris | Annika Swackhammer |
| David | William Kerr |
| Angels | Delaney Liesen Madeline Hudson Katie Kerr |
| Reverend | Phil Perrin |
Production Crew |
|
| Producers | Michael Catlin Sandie Cond Dylan Chenier |
| Director | Rachael McDonald |
| Stage Manager | Tara Raftery |
| Asst. Stage Managers | Sarah Caddell Emma Campbell |
| Set & Lighting Design | David L. Smith |
| Sound Design | Michael Gourgon |
| Costume Design | Claudia Wade Sarah Toomey |
| Props & Set Dressing | Kim Coffman-Dressel |
| Lighting Operation | James Leslie Julia Raftery Natasha Rotondaro |
| Sound Operation | Michael Gourgon Kim Coffman-Dressel |
| Chief Carpenter | David Kearney |
| Set Construction | Bob Brooks Lorna Jodoin James Gow Ian Rutherford D.T. McNichol James Oliver Tony McDermott Will Britton Grant Buckler |
| Set Painting | Adrian Cooper Michael Catlin Kim Coffman-Dressel Sandie Cond |
| Lobby Photography | Sara Cond Flower |
| Archival Photography | Grant Buckler |
| Poster Design | Katie Flower-Smith |
| Lobby Art Curator | Karen Peperkorn |
| Lobby Artist | Liz Evans |
| Front of House Co-ordinator | Stephen Powell |