Overview
We all know that children can often be excitable and noisy in the run up to Christmas, and remaining quiet and calm can feel like a challenge, so your 3-6 year olds may well understand how the animals feel in ‘Hushaby Nativity’! The traditional nativity story is so well-known, and the characters so familiar, it is easy to forget what it must have been like to witness the events first-hand as the shepherds, then the angels and Magi come to visit the Baby Jesus. But the animals, often bystanders in the nativity story, take centre stage here, and it is through their noisy excitement, and struggle to keep quiet so as not to disturb the baby, that we are reminded of the magic, awe and wonder of the Christmas story.
‘Hushaby Nativity’ offers a humorous, charming and quiet-ish take on the traditional story.
Synopsis
The announcer calls for peace and quiet, telling everyone that something wonderful is about to happen in Bethlehem — a special baby named Jesus is going to be born. But no one in Bethlehem knows yet. How will they realise they need to be quiet (HUSH)?
The animals in the stable are eagerly waiting for the innkeeper to bring their food. But when he arrives, they get a big surprise — he brings two unexpected guests, Mary and Joseph, and announces that they will be staying in the stable. Unfortunately for Mary and Joseph, when the animals fall asleep, they snore so loudly they wake them up (DID YOU EVER HEAR A SHEEP SNORING?)!
The innkeeper returns to the stable with his wife and suggests the animals should try to be quieter. The animals are confused, so the innkeeper’s wife explains that a special baby is about to be born in the stable. When the baby finally arrives, the animals become so excited with so much mooing, clucking, baa-ing, and bleating, they need yet another reminder to calm down (TIPTOE AND WHISPER)!
Just as everything becomes peaceful again, the Shiny Star makes a grand and noisy entrance. The star is asked to float to the top of the stable and wait quietly (YOU CAN DO IT SHINY STAR).
On a hill outside Bethlehem, a group of shepherds are tending their sheep when angels appear with the joyful news that Baby Jesus has been born. Meanwhile, in the quiet town all is calm — until the same shepherds arrive at the stable, singing happily at the top of their voices (HAPPY SHEPHERDS)!
By the time the animals try to tell the shepherds to quieten down, it’s too late — Baby Jesus has started to cry. Bailey the Donkey comes up with a great idea: they can sing a lullaby to calm the baby (HUSH LITTLE BABY).
As Baby Jesus peacefully sleeps, everyone agrees the donkey should stand guard for any more noisy visitors. When the Wise Men arrive, accompanied by the angels, they already know what to do. With quiet reverence, they make their way into the stable. Together, they marvel at the newborn King, sharing in the joyous celebration of His birth (COME TO BETHLEHEM TONIGHT).
Script Samples
Hushaby Nativity - Sample script
CHARACTER LIST - with lines
The play has been written with 27 individual speaking parts and the shepherds share a group line. You can have as many shepherds, animals and angels as you like since there are additional group lines for them to say. The announcement and narration may be challenging for 3 to 6-year-olds, so could be read by a teacher. However, if you have older children available, they could either learn and perform the narration or read from a script during the performance.
The parts fall into the following groups:
- Angels and Shiny Star
- Cows
- Donkeys
- Goats
- Innkeeper and Innkeeper's Wife
- Mary and Joseph
- Announcer and Narrator
- Sheep
- Shepherds
- Three Wise Men
| COWS | | GOATS | | Mary | 2 + 1 joint line |
| Nellie | 1 | Billie | 1 | Joseph | 1 + 1 joint line |
| Clover | 1 | Pepper | 1 | Narrator | 21 |
| Buttercup | 1 | Pippin | 1 | Shiny Star | 4 |
| Speckles | 1 | DONKEYS | | Angel 1 | 1 + 1 joint line |
| SHEEP | | Bailey | 1 | Angel 2 | 1 + 1 joint line |
| Puff | 1 | Muffin | 1 | Angel 3 | 1 + 1 joint line |
| Misty | 1 | Nutmeg | 1 | Melchior | 2 |
| Curly | 1 | | | Caspar | 2 |
| Fuzzy | 1 | Innkeeper | 2 | Balthazar | 3 |
| | | Innkeeper's wife | 2 | Shepherds | 1 joint line |
| | | | | Announcer | 1 |
