Theater Memories- DCT's Best Christmas Pageant Ever 1996

Our first year in Dallas was difficult. We had very little money with only enough to make rent and pay bills more or less. We juggled them for a while. But in a very short time, thanks to our dear friend Christy, we had some work clowning at various functions which helped a great deal allowing a little breathing room to do more theater. Toward the end of the second year we had finally started to establish ourselves in the theater community.

The Dallas Children's Theater provided us with the most work in the first few years. During the holidays you can count on seeing most any theater putting on A Christmas Carol, The Nutcracker and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever in which I played the Reverend Hopkins who was supposed to be in his early forties ( I was thirty one. I love theater). It had a pretty big cast consisting mostly of children. The main child characters were the Herdmans who were described as "the worst kids in the history of the whole world."


During one moment in the play the Herdmans focus their destructive attention on the reverand who is a quiet and somewhat meek character. There's was no description for what the Herdmans did to the reverand. He enters the stage after being accosted by them and makes a brief speech. I wanted the reverend to look like he'd been roughed up a bit so I removed one shoe, pulled the sock so that it was barely on my foot,un-tucked my shirt, messed up my hair, undid my necktie and put a "kick me" sign on my back. The director thought the sign was too much but like the rest. When I saw the play a few years later they were still using my bits 'o' comedy. Made me feel good.


The cast was doubled up so we had two sets of all the kids and some of the adults. I, as well as most of the adults were not double cast so I got to be in all the shows which was great. It just made the holidays all the more fun. Pammy and I were far away from our families so it was lonely. We didn't get to travel home much early on because money was tight and our vehicles were not ready for the long drive to San Antonio and Laredo.


All the kids were great. They followed direction well and never missed a cue. Real pros all of them. Karl Schaeffer who was on staff at the theater and was cast as the eldest Herdman kid, took some video backstage and I recently found it. he interviewed some of the cast and then made copies for everyone as a gift. I think only one theater around here has put on that play in the nine years we've been here. It's a bigger than usual cast that includes many children and not a lot of theaters have the experience and patience of working with so many children. It's a good story, perhaps a little corny but very family friendly. Check it out if it's playing in your area. It's a nice change of pace from the usual holiday fare. Below is a condensed look at the t.v. version aired way back in 1983.