2006 Black Christmas Torrent

30. Christmas Plays/Performances

It's always a good thing when families can enjoy outings together.

Attending Christmas plays, performances and concerts offer wonderful holiday

entertainment for all members of the family. Attending Christmas performances

and concerts offers wonderful entertainment for the entire family and provides

another way to enjoy the festivities of the Christmas season.

Families usually don't have to venture too far from their home to enjoy a

Christmas play or concert. That's because amateur actors, singers and budding

musicians in their neighborhood will usually take part in several Christmas

performances for local residents. These amateur but entertaining events can be

found at local schools, churches or at a community theater or performance

center.

It's very popular for those groups to stage performances of the Nativity

story, or other Christmas related works such as 'A Christmas Carol.' churches

and school groups may even have a complete concert series that includes a full-

length production of a play along with choirs, soloists and the band singing

Christmas carols and other Christmas songs.

What makes local Christmas performances special is that members of the

community and maybe even of your own household can be among the entertainers.

It is therefore special to see familiar faces doing something interesting and

different. For those who are budget-conscious, the performances are usually

priced to be very affordable, therefore offering an economic incentive to go out

and have an enjoyable afternoon or evening.

Those people who are lovers of the arts and who are more interested in

seeing a professional performance will likely also have a professional

theatrical company within reasonable proximity of their residence. Professional

groups may also perform Christmas classics such as 'A Christmas Carol' or they

may do another dramatic production from the works of other playwrights.

Music lovers also have a variety of performances to enjoy at Christmas

time. While one can always catch various groups singing carols in downtown areas

or at malls, there are other places to hear rich, melodious performances of

Christmas music. These include concerts by acclaimed or recognized

conservatories, orchestras, symphonies and renowned choir groups.

The beauty of hearing Christmas music by these groups is in the accompaniment of

instruments and the harmonious blending of voices, which all happens in a venue

that has acoustic features to optimize the auditory pleasure of the

performances. The different components that together make the whole performance

offers a richer quality to Christmas songs and carols that may be described as

'sounding heavenly.'

Another popular artistic performance that is popular during the Christmas season

is classical dance in the form of ballet, and particularly the performance of

the 'Nutcracker' ballet. With music written by Tchaikovsky, the story is about

a young girl who has a dream on Christmas Eve of a Nutcracker Prince and a

fierce battle with a Mouse King that has seven heads. After a fierce battle

between the Nutcracker, who leads an army of toy soldiers, and the Mouse King

who leads an army of mice, the Nutcracker is captured. But the little girl

throws her slipper at the Mouse King, hits him in the head and kills him. In the

end, the Nutcracker turns into a Prince and takes the little girl to the magical

and enchanting Land of Snow with dancing snowflakes and the Land of Sweets with

the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Attending Christmas plays, concerts or musical performances serves the basic

purpose of providing enjoyment, but it can also help young people, and even

adults, to develop an appreciation for the arts. Seeing different variations and

the creativity in performances of Christmas plays, as well as hearing different

renditions of Christmas songs, can be the first exposure that leads to a

lifelong love of the arts and maybe a dream to pursue a career in the arts.