Audiences attending the Oswego Players’ production of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” this December will receive an added bonus to the experience – the performance of a number of favorite Christmas Carols sung primarily by the cast under the direction of Kathryn (“Katie”) Donovan. Show times for the production are 7:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays, December 5th, 6th, 12th and 13th, and 2pm Sundays, December 7th and 14th.
Jennifer Hitchcock, who has Directed seven of the last 11 Christmas shows, has frequently added this additional feature to the package. “It’s a way to enhance the overall experience and reinforce the Christmas message to our audiences,” she said. “I asked Katie to direct the choir in 2023 and she has become a mainstay since then.”
While she performs at various venues around the region, Katie Donovan is always excited to help out at the Players’ Christmas shows. “This is such a fun experience,” she said. “We have a number of favorite Christmas Carols that we sing just before the opening curtain and again at the intermission.” Although the choir is enhanced with a couple of stalwart voices, it is primarily made up of the cast for the show. “You never know what musical talent will be available each year,” Donovan added. “This year I was stunned by the gifted voices and enthusiasm displayed by all cast members. To have 15 cast members sign up, both adults and kids, is quite incredible.”
The choir rehearses once a week after a play rehearsal, so those that have signed up have the extra requirement to become familiar with the carols as well as learning the lines of the play. “It’s quite a commitment,” Hitchcock said. “But something audiences really appreciate.”
In the spirit of giving, the Oswego Players have partnered with the USMC Reserve Toys for Tots campaign and are collecting new and unwrapped toys from now until the last performance on December 14th. The Toys for Tots mission is to deliver hope to children at Christmastime and beyond. “This is a really important initiative,” Hitchcock said. “We are proud to help the program and strongly encourage our patrons to donate. We have a Toys for Tots donation bin located in the lobby of the Marion Brown Theater and we hope to have it filled before the end of the show.”
“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc www.concordtheatricals.com
This project is made possible through the CNY Arts Grants for Regional Arts and Cultural Engagement regrant program thanks to a New York State Senate Initiative supported by the NYS Legislature, the Office of the Governor and administered by the New York State Council on the Arts.
For more information and ticket sales please go to https://oswegoplayers.org/ or for phone reservations please call the Box Office at 315-343-5138.
Pictured are members of the Oswego Players “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” choir: Front row (l-r): Averyanna Wilson, Abraham Patrick, Charlie Thompson, Este Barreto, Catelyn Adelman, Ella King, Jemma Sawyer; Back row (l-r): Katie Donovan, Brook Samson, Chloë Hill, Annilea Murphy, Parker Nesbitt, Rachel Gordon, Sarah Adelman, Meg Adelman, Jill Sawyer