2023 Broadwater Community Theater Christmas Dinner and Play
Even the meanest children were delightful in the Christmas Play at the Lodge over the weekend. The 3 performances were attended by over 200 people. The play based on The Best Christmas Pageant Ever book by Barbara Robinson. It featured the Herdman family, six of the meanest children in school who were won over to become Mary and Joseph and the wisemen in the church pageant.
Mother( Grace), played by Karolyn Schmaus, did her best to fill in regular director Mrs. McCarthy’s (Destiny Grandy) spot after McCarthy broke her leg. But soon Mother’s best-laid plans turn into chaos when the school’s mean family, the Herdmans (Ava Boaz, Karter Schmaus, Caleb Crusch, Anthony Grandy, Ayden Thompson and Kaylee Flynn) show up to take over the play. Mother tries to get her own children Beth (Harper Hazlett) and Charlie (Clayton Rice) to take the parts. They refuse, not wanting to get beat up by the Herdmans. None of the Sunday School kids want anything to do with performing along side the Herdman family.
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Even the meanest children were delightful in the Christmas Play at the Lodge over the weekend. The 3 performances were attended by over 200 people. The play based on The Best Christmas Pageant Ever book by Barbara Robinson. It featured the Herdman family, six of the meanest children in school who were won over to become Mary and Joseph and the wisemen in the church pageant.
Mother( Grace), played by Karolyn Schmaus, did her best to fill in regular director Mrs. McCarthy’s (Destiny Grandy) spot after McCarthy broke her leg. But soon Mother’s best-laid plans turn into chaos when the school’s mean family, the Herdmans (Ava Boaz, Karter Schmaus, Caleb Crusch, Anthony Grandy, Ayden Thompson and Kaylee Flynn) show up to take over the play. Mother tries to get her own children Beth (Harper Hazlett) and Charlie (Clayton Rice) to take the parts. They refuse, not wanting to get beat up by the Herdmans. None of the Sunday School kids want anything to do with performing along side the Herdman family.
With the gentle coaxing of the other shepherds, the angels and Mother’s reading of the story of Jesus’ birth, the bratty bunch of kids begin to understand what Christmas is about. Eighth grader Ava Boaz who insists on playing the part of Mary, soon realizes the Israelite family is not unlike her own. “ They have very little. They are immigrants in an unfamiliar place with no friends and nowhere to stay. The point of the play is to put into retrospect what the story is about,” Ava said in an interview.
Ava gave a powerful performance as leader of the Herdmans. Her character was complimented by Ralph (Karter Schmaus) who played Joseph. Mother Grace’s husband, Bob, (Noah Borror) helped the play sparkle with his foot-dragging sense of humor.
Ava, like many of the actors in the play, has performed in past theater productions. She said she really enjoys acting. She had never read the book “Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” She explained how she got into character: “I watched the movie which helped me visualize the character and how to interact with the other characters in the play. The Herdmans were a really bratty bunch of kids!” she said.
Others in the 24-member cast were Alice (Tessie Hughes), Maxine (Kay Crusch, Mrs. Armstrong (Erilyn Strait) Mrs. Slocum (Aroura Toney), Rev. Hopkins (Jayden Flynn), David (Junior Kuscinski), Hobie (Charlie Hughes), Elmer (Brock Graham), Beverly (Katey Crusch) and Shirley (Harper Kuscinski). The baby angels were Mariah VanZee, Abby VanZee and Joshua VanZee.
Director Amanda Hazlett had practiced with the cast for 2 months. Her helpers were Carla Amundson at the piano and Destani Spencer who ran stage lights. The Elf (Patrick Plantenberg) opened the matinee to an audience of over 100 Sunday by introducing BCT board members LaRinda Spencer, Carla Amundson, Tina Homann, Birdi Kribbs, Jim Domino, Anne Hall, Mele Moa, Destani Spencer, Pat, and Nancy Marks.
Marks gave the legacy of the Ryland KM Foote Memorial Trust which will transform into a newly formed nonprofit Broadwater Community Theater.
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