Church finds way for show to go on

FOR 59 consecutive years, St. John the Evangelist, Port Hope, presented The Christmas Story in the church. Parishioners and members of the wider community looked forward to the annual retelling of the familiar narrative, complete with angels, shepherds and wise men, all following the star to a stable in Bethlehem.

But with COVID-19 this year, the congregation and community have had to get creative in how to live up to the old maxim, “the show must go on.”

This holiday season, St. John’s will present the 60th edition of The Christmas Story as a series of five short films that blend scenes from the script with videos and photographs from past productions, reminiscences from past and recent cast members and crew, and testimonials from community members about what The Christmas Story has meant to them.

The first two films in the series will be released during Advent, followed by the pivotal Nativity scene on Christmas Eve, another film during Christmas week and the final installment on Epiphany, when the kings reach Bethlehem. The videos will be posted on the St. John’s website and on You Tube.

“We are not only going to tell the story as we usually would, but we’re also going to invite people to share what the Christmas Story has meant to them, their past involvement, share old photos and things like that,” says Shane Watson, a member of the congregation and chair of the Church Advisory Board.

Scenes of The Christmas Story will be performed and recorded by people in the same social bubbles. Footage will be sent to the editing team and integrated with archival materials to create each of the five episodes.

“The cool thing about The Christmas Story this year is that we’re really going to be bringing it outside of the four walls of the church,” says Mr. Watson.