The Day That Baby Jesus Came To Town

Click here to see a script preview to show how flexible and adaptable this script is.

• The basic traditional nativity costumes
• a good confident reader/ actor for the Innkeeper’s wife
• a cast of upwards of 9, with no upper limit

THAT’S RIGHT…NO PIANIST REQUIRED, although sheet music is provided if you are fortunate enough to have one!

(Can be reduced or increased without changing script length as alternatives are offered for the narrator or other actors to say.) In my own personal experience, I have used the script with a mixed age cast as small as 9 (some who considered themselves ‘too old for nativities!’ with some actors playing more than one role, and I have made these suggestions within the script). If used as written it will include 24 speakers, plus non-speaking angels and singers:

• 2 narrators, one with 29 lines ( 4 optional) to read and the other with 40 lines to read.  The narrators need to be confident readers, able to keep the flow of the play together paying attention to what is happening on stage, and ‘act’ rather than simply reading the lines
• Joseph,
• Mary,
• 4 Innkeepers, only 2 of whom are essential
• Innkeeper’s wife,
• 3 kings,
• Angel Gabriel (non-essential ad voiceover can be used)
• 2 soldiers,(non-essential: narrator can say lines)
• 3 shepherds (only 1 essential who can say all the shepherds’ lines)
• 2 children, (the children, parents and grandparents’ scene can be omitted entirely reducing the script by a maximum of 14 lines, or just reduce cast instead by 2 grandparents and give their lines to parents so the script isn’t reduced at all)
• 2 parents,
• 2 grandparents,
• plus non-speaking angels (non-essential, but there is an opportunity for the angels to dance and/or sing if they choose)

All of the songs for the Day That Baby Jesus Came to Town nativity play use familiar children’s tunes with very SIMPLE SONG WORDS to help to minimise rehearsals .

I have used my own easily remembered words to the following popular tunes…. 

• The Wheels on The Bus  (ie, Donkey’s Travelling song called “All Day Long”)
• Go Tell it on the Mountain (ie, Angel’s song “Go Find the Baby Jesus”)
• Here we go round the Mulberry Bush (ie, Shepherds’ song “This is the Way to Bethlehem”.)
• 1,2,3,4,5 Once I Caught a Fish Alive (ie Kings’ song “1,2,3 Wise Men”)
• She’ll be Coming Round the Mountain (ie, Celebration song “Oh! It’s Nearly Christmas Day”)

Finally, my own “Sleep Gentle Jesus” song.

Sheet music is provided with the script but, for your convenience, I also include mp3 backing tracks in case you have no pianist, or for use during rehearsals.

Bearing in mind that every performance of a script will be different dependant upon the speed of the reading and acting, I can only offer a rough guidance:

1. I would expect the script, including songs, to last approximately 25 minutes, although this will, of course, be reliant upon everything flowing in a calm, fully rehearsed way without delays to get actors in position etc.  Of course, the songs are optional so you can reduce or lengthen the performance time by omitting or altering the songs.
2. If you choose to include the “The Day That Baby Jesus Came to Town Roll Call” poem allow up to 2 minutes, but recognise that this poem is different in length dependant on how many of your cast stand and say their line and how speedily and efficiently they do so, and what pauses they take!  The poem gives everyone in the cast the opportunity to bow and respond at the relevant point.
3. If you choose to use the poem “Jesus is Not Just for Christmas” to round off the play allow  another minute.

Considerations when planning your rehearsals…..

• If the script is used exactly as written, no individual has a large amount to learn.  I aim to give everyone just a couple of rhyming lines each and, whilst the main characters of the innkeeper and innkeepers wife have larger chunks of lines, they are mostly read/ scan read from the ‘diary’ which they pass around between them.  This, however, does require some practising and familiarity with the script to act effectively without looking like they are reading a script, but the rehearsal of this skill can be done independently of full rehearsals.  Potentially, it is worth the narrators, innkeeper and innkeeper’s wife practising the ‘handover’ of the diary and the technique for ‘scan-reading’ the script, which is very simple and effective (I have used different texts etc in the diary to make individuals’ lines easily spotted)
• Generally speaking the individual scenes can be rehearsed separately (innkeeper’s scene, shepherds scene, kings scene, etc) making it feasible to practise the scenes individually BUT the innkeeper’s wife and/ or narrator tends to be in each scene so they couldn’t be done at the same time!
• As a guide, when I used the script we had one full walk through rehearsal (whilst I, as the director, made notes) and then did one full dress rehearsal in situ with everyone present.  With a minimal cast, all 3 innkeepers were played by one teenager who changed tunic and/headgear etc for the next innkeeper, but she was not present for the dress rehearsal but it was still simple enough for her to do unrehearsed on the day. (Besides which, any hiccups added to the comedy!)
• If you choose to use the songs, they are deliberately easy to remember as the words are simple and repetitive, but they can be practised without a pianist by using the mp3 backing tracks provided.  Alternatively, the songs can be replaced with past favourite songs or appropriate carols for everyone to join in with, reducing/omitting the need for music rehearsals.

All these things considered, I personally would plan to practise individual scenes and songs separately so that one or two full rehearsals should then be sufficient (the first being an opportunity for the director to make notes re practicalities etc, and the second being a full dress rehearsal, although personal circumstances and cast age and ability will of course determine this more accurately.)

As the script is so adaptable, (I reduced it to 9 actors for our church nativity) , please be aware that the following list is for the maximum likelihood that you will need. Therefore, the only costumes required are the traditional nativity costumes for the characters that you choose to include from the following:

• Mary, Joseph,  2 Innkeepers,  Innkeepers wife, 3 kings, 1 shepherd
• 2 soldiers (can be omitted and read by narrator)
• 2 more shepherds (can be omitted and lines given to first shepherd)
• 2 more innkeepers (Can be played by same person as first innkeeper who simply changes tunic and/or headgear

In addition, the following characters will be dressed in everyday clothing:

• 2 narrators
• 2 children (scene can be omitted if preferred)
• 2 parents (same scene, can be omitted)
• Grandpa and Grandma (same scene, can be omitted, or grandparents omitted and lines allocated to parents without reducing script)

If you would like to see examples of the traditional nativity costumes that we have used click here for some photographs.

Just £9.95 for an instantly downloadable pdf document of the script, including sheet music and downloadable mp3 backing tracks of the music.

Alternatively, I highly recommend upgrading your purchase for just £2 extra,to receive all of the above in addition to A WORD DOCUMENT of the script to customise and personalise for your own nativity play.  It really is invaluable when it comes to personalising the script and distributing lines etc.

Remember the reason why we celebrate Christmas: the birth of Jesus is not just a story, but the real reason for our celebrations at Christmas-time.

The free bonus poem “Jesus is not just for Christmas” highlights the message that, whilst Christmas is a lovely time of celebration, we must remember that Jesus is the reason for it, but also that Jesus’s birth was a gift to us from God, not just for Christmas-time but forever.