Are Nativity plays still relevant in primary school?

Absolutely, and for a number of reasons. Primary school nativity plays and musicals are the best way to remember and preserve the story of how Christmas came to be and why we celebrate it. With primary schools being required to make children aware of the main tenets and festivals of the major world religions, putting on KS1 or KS2 nativities ticks a lot of boxes and, more importantly perhaps, focuses children’s attention onto the more traditional and less consumer-driven aspects of the festive season. And, of course, the nativity is a fantastic story to tell through drama and music! Parents still delight in seeing their little ones in a nativity production and, for most of them, it brings back happy memories of their own experiences at school.

At Edgy Productions we believe the nativity ‘concept’ needs to evolve. Don’t worry though – angels, shepherds, wise men, donkeys and a baby in a manager are always at the core of our KS1 and KS2 nativity plays. To keep things interesting, however, we like to add a little spin, bringing in new characters and fresh perspectives. We like to re-imagine the familiar nativity story from the point of view of different characters, enabling you as a teacher to engage and include more of your children and expand the usual limited cast list, which traditionally has only one female part – Mary!

For most youngsters, their KS1 nativity play is their first experience of acting and singing on stage – we hope we can help make that experience a positive one.