Overview
For young children learning about the birth of Jesus for the first time, there really is so much to marvel at: the stable, the manger, the star, the kings, angels, donkey, shepherds and sheep. In this lovely new nativity by Niki Davies, one particular sheep, Woolly, is teased for his (very) woolly appearance by the others. He feels upset, different and isolated. As we know, Jesus spent his life standing up for the poor, the hungry, the isolated and the marginalised. And so the character of Woolly, whose wool is eventually chosen to create the blanket in which Jesus is wrapped, serves as a wonderful example that differences should be celebrated, that everybody should be valued and cherished, and that we should never judge people (or sheep!) on appearances.
Synopsis
Woolly lives with a flock of sheep on the hills just outside Bethlehem. Like all the other sheep he enjoys roaming the hills and eating grass, but there is one difference. Woolly is very, very woolly, much woollier than all of the other sheep (WOOLLY THE SHEEP).
One day a messenger comes to the hill and goes to speak to Woolly. The sheep are intrigued to know what is being said but Woolly has been sworn to secrecy. The sheep think Woolly looks very funny with all his extra wool and tease him (I’M SO WOOLLY).
As the sheep and shepherds sleep, Woolly slips away. They are woken by a sound in the sky and angels fly down to the hill to tell them all about the birth of a baby boy (EVER SO HIGH).
As the sheep and shepherds leave for Bethlehem they notice that Woolly is missing and begin to realise that they could have been kinder to him. On their way to the town they witness a beautiful star in the sky and hear a commotion behind them. Three kings are also on their way to see the baby Jesus (MAKE WAY FOR THE KINGS).
When they arrive at the stable, the sheep are very excited to see the baby Jesus. And they are very surprised to see Woolly whose wool has been used to make a blanket for the baby. The kings arrive and present their gifts to Jesus (SPECIAL LITTLE CHILD).
The sheep are sorry that they teased Woolly, but Woolly has a kind heart and has already forgiven them. Together with Mary and Joseph, the kings, the shepherds and the angels, they all keep watch over the baby Jesus and celebrate his birth (IT’S A WONDERFUL THING).
Script Samples
Woolly - Script Sample
Charcters/Speaking Parts
There are thirty five speaking parts plus Mary and Joseph who have non-speaking parts. Many of the lines are only a few words long. There are also six narrators and all these lines can also be taken over by an older child or adult.
Characters | Lines | Characters | Lines | Characters | Lines |
Woolly | 2 | Sheep 9 | 1 | Shepherd 5 | 1 |
Sheep 1 | 2 | Sheep 10 | 1 | Shepherd 6 | 1 |
Sheep 2 | 2 | Sheep 11 | 1 | Shepherd 7 | 1 |
Sheep 3 | 2 | Sheep 13 | 1 | Messenger | 1 |
Sheep 4 | 2 | Sheep 14 | 1 | Angel 1 | 1 |
Sheep 5 | 2 | Sheep 15 | 1 | Angel 2 | 1 |
Sheep 6 | 2 | Sheep 16 | 1 | Angel 3 | 1 |
Sheep 7 | 2 | Sheep 17 | 1 | Angel 4 | 1 |
Sheep 12 | 2 | Shepherd 1 | 1 | Melchior | 1 |
Courtier 1 | 2 | Shepherd 2 | 1 | Caspar | 1 |
Courtier 2 | 2 | Shepherd 3 | 1 | Mary | Non-speaking |
Balthazar | 2 | Shepherd 4 | 1 | Joseph | Non-speaking |
Sheep 8 | 1 | | | | |
All characters could be played both by boys and girls, with names altered to suit if felt necessary.
The editable WORD script, available for £9.95 when the performance licence is also purchased, will make the process of adjusting quite straightforward.
