Chip Smith, Nederland.  This is the time of year when one may sit at home, cuddled in a warm fleece blanket, sitting in front of a glowing fire place, and enjoying a good book. In 1971, Barbara Robinson published a book that has been adapted into a lovely Christmas holiday play. The Peak to Peak Players have opened their 2018 holiday production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever! at the St. James Church, in Central City. The atmosphere of the historic church with its golden glow lighting, the middle school kids singing carols in the stairway, goodies in the fellowship hall and an appearance by Santa, sets the stage for a remarkable evening.

Mark Ragan, founder and producer of the Peak to Peak Players, sets the play into motion with a curtain warmer reading of the Dylan Thomas poem, A Child’s Christmas In Wales. Then the antics begin! Laughs abound as we follow the Herdman siblings, or “the worst kids in the history of the world,” when they join the annual Christmas pageant. This year’s pageant is like no other and at the end of all the chaos and through the telling of the Christmas story, lives are transformed.

Dr. Jocelyn Brown has assembled a wonderful cast to present this comedy about a small town church that overcomes a mountain of obstacles to produce a heart warming Christmas show.

Books lead everyone through a journey of imagination. Bringing books alive through the adaptation of a play, musical or other type of live performance, is very special. Community theatre gives our mountain community the opportunity to participate, learn and experience a growth that is not found in any other venue. Being onstage creating characters, music, dance or drama engages your imagination and your soul. With discipline, rehearsal, investigation, repetition and direction, everyone is more capable of engaging human communication. Part of the fun the directors experience is the joy on the young performers’ faces when they hear the laughter and the applause, as they create their characters onstage.

Live performance gives us all the opportunity to escape the smartphones, the internet and the video games. It allows families to gather and support their sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, moms, dads and friends. The Peak to Peak Players are a gift to this community and are fast building a reputation for delivering excellent performances.

Mr. Ragan is finishing callbacks for the next Peak To Peak Player selection of Shakespeare’s timeless Romeo and Juliet. The summer children’s theatre camp will perform Alice in Wonderland followed by the musical Shrek!
The final two performances of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever! will be held in Nederland at the Backdoor Theater on Saturday, Dec. 15, and Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018. The 2-hour production (with intermission) begins at 2 p.m. both days. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

Join us for a performance, or more importantly, join us in supporting The Peak to Peak Players!

(Originally published in the December 13, 2018, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)