Shaler Area High School thespians to stage 3 showings of 'Best Christmas Pageant Ever'

Editor’s note: The following story was submitted for the Shaler Area Student Section, a collaboration between TribLive and The Oracle, the student newspaper of Shaler Area High School.

Shaler Area High School’s Performing Arts Department will present its fall play, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever,” at 7 p.m. Nov. 14 and 2 and 7 p.m. Nov. 15.

In this heartwarming story, adapted from a best-selling book by Barbara Robinson, a couple is unexpectedly thrown into a church Christmas pageant and is tasked with casting a group of kids who are notoriously up to no good.

The Herdman siblings bring a chaotic, unconventional energy to this Christmas story. Their lack of prior knowledge about Christmas leads to a unique interpretation of the story, teaching the entire town about love, compassion and the true meaning of the holiday.

What seems like it will be the worst Christmas pageant ever, turns out to be a heartwarming experience that will entertain from start to finish.

“This play has been on my wishlist for years, but we never had the right cast for it. This year, we have a young, female-dominant group, so this show — featuring younger characters — enabled me to be flexible with casting,” director Anne Loudon said.

Leading roles include senior Sarah Stevens as the mother, Grace Bradley; junior Alexis Bankowski playing her daughter, Beth Bradley; and junior Charlie Chiang playing a stereotypical bad girl, Imogene Herdman.

“Grace is a caring, loving and hardworking mother who is unexpectedly tasked with directing the annual Christmas pageant. The Herdman children, the most awful kids in history, suddenly show up as she is assigning roles. The unexpected presence of the Herdmans and the roles they’ve undertaken put the success of the Christmas pageant in jeopardy,” Stevens said. “I love playing Grace because there are so many layers to her character and there are so many different emotions I get to portray. She overcomes a lot of struggles, challenges and doubts throughout the show that inspire me to do the same.”

Students like Stevens are the reason Loudon is so enthusiastic about this production.

“I just love this group of kids. They’re very supportive of each other,” she said.

Stevens feels the same about how those involved have grown closer and noted how that support helps the end product.

“I like all the friendships we make. We all become so close, and we’re all in this together. It’s great to see it all come together and to know that we’re all a part of this one thing. It takes every single one of us to make it special,” she said.

Putting on a performance like this is not without its struggles though. Loudon admitted there is a downside to having so many good kids involved in the play.

“The biggest challenge is working around the schedules of our busy, overachieving students,” she said. “We are all so busy and pulled in different directions this time of year with homecoming, marching band, soccer — you name it.”

Opening night is still a few weeks away, but the cast and crew are working hard to ensure the audience gets to enjoy the show to its fullest.

“The audience should be ready for a hilarious show with twists and turns as they watch the Bradleys struggle putting on the annual Christmas pageant. Be ready to witness the mayhem that occurs as the Herdmans collide head-on with the story of Christmas,” Stevens said.

Behind the scenes, Jeanne Marshall, Kristen Paul and Micheal LaBella all work to bring the performance to life. Marshall creates the setting, Paul works on costumes and design, and LaBella manages the stage crew.

“I always look forward to opening night and the first curtain call. Without giving too many spoilers, it does become the best Christmas pageant ever,” Loudon said.