PROVO — Staging a live theater production like this is nothing short of a miracle.
A host of characters must be cast and lighting systems coordinated. And 300 straw bales need to be stacked around a manger where livestock will, with a little luck after a lot of prayer, stand quietly in front of a large crowd.
Plus, it's a cold gig.
At the end of the day, though, Travis Stewart comes away from the Living Nativity Pageant renewed. The production is an annual project of the Provo Utah LDS South Stake.
"Every year, the lights and the music come on and I think, 'Oooh, I'm so glad we did it again,' " said Stewart, who has organized the event several times. "It's been wonderful."
Mike Mower, Provo's spokesman, said the pageant "is an important and significant contribution to Provo's holiday season."
The pageant started more than 20 years ago. However, the production was dropped for a couple of years when the original director left the area.
Stewart, a counselor in the stake that stages the nativity, was asked to oversee the resurrection of the event because Provo business and community leaders felt it was missed.
"Of all places in the country, Provo ought to have a Living Nativity Pageant," Stewart said. "We went to work. We found the original soundtrack and narration and the costumes. We asked a local veteran in drama to direct it for us."
It was a success. An estimated 800 people turned out for the shows, which run three times a night for four nights. A camel even made an appearance in that run of the nativity.
"The camel died so we haven't been able to duplicate that, but we'd like to," Stewart said. "Anybody know of one that's available?"
Last year, more than 8,000 people gathered on the straw to watch the re-enactment of Jesus Christ's birth.
Stewart said a couple of things have been changed. The metal bleachers were replaced by the bales of straw. The cast members are invited inside the Provo Tabernacle during the breaks between shows to warm up.
The audience is invited to sit close for warmth and to become part of the story as they sing the final song, "Joy To The World."
Small children are invited to come up close.
Sometimes one or two will actually join the 40 to 50 characters in the pageant but that only adds to the moment, Stewart said. "We have to be careful about the animals, but it usually doesn't bother us," he said.
A doll plays the part of baby Jesus because it's too cold for a real baby, he said, but interestingly enough, the pageant has never been stormed out and the temperatures have only been moderately cold.
"Fortunately, it's only 20 minutes for a show," he said.
E-MAIL: haddoc@desnews.com