Standing awkwardly on a small stage while you badly act out a version of the Christmas story is an essential part of any primary school experience. But this year, the nativity is under threat.

On the face of it, putting on any form of show seems impossible amid the current restrictions and so some schools were ready to do a Glastonbury and have a fallow year. 

However, other schools are refusing to be beaten and have found some ingenious ways of pulling a show together (permissions for all pupils who are involved having been confirmed). Here’s how they are doing it. 

1. The Christopher Nolan approach

A complex filming schedule of shooting individual scenes and then days in the editing suite stitching it all together? It might sound tricky, but education is all about new skills and this teacher is taking on the challenge.

I *think* we are going to film separate sections and cut it together to send out to parents... ? When I say ‘we’, I mean I will organise this and become a video cutting pro ? we just need to make sure we have all the permissions sorted before we go for it.

- Shannen Doherty (@MissSDoherty) October 16, 2020

2. The live show approach

If you are worried the above approach may end up being too polished for a nativity, then why not live stream the whole thing to parents like this teacher?

Yes, via Zoom. We are already using this with class assemblies. Out of the Ark have produced plays with scenes organised into bubbles.

- Panayiota Procopiou (@panprocopiou) October 16, 2020

3. The blockbuster musical approach

La La Land? Put it in the shade by creating your own musical extravaganza to be sent out to parents.

Each class is doing one scene and song, which will be filmed separately and then cut together to make our own nativity film!

- Jon Hutchinson (@jon_hutchinson_) October 16, 2020

4. The straight to DVD approach

Live streams can be messy and putting videos on the internet can be tricky, so this school has decided an old-school DVD is the sensible way forwards, complete with the kids all on stage as they would be in more normal times.

We are going to film it and DVD it we think. No audience I’m afraid.

- Karen❤???⚽️ (@Karen41433759) October 16, 2020

5. The Hollywood remake approach

If you are going to the trouble of making a film, why not aim high and ditch the traditional Christmas story and remake a worldwide blockbuster hit movie from the 1980s? 

 

We’re going for a total format change and re-making a classic Christmas film instead of doing a play (we tend to do a show rather than a nativity). I want to do Home Alone but the risk assessment is presenting some challenges. I think it’ll end up being the grinch.

- Alex Reed (@MrReedMCPA) October 17, 2020

If you have other ideas of making it work, let us know. And to all who take part this year, best of luck!