When in Bethlehem

By Olivia Carr©

(Please remember to cite author if you wish to use the material)

Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License.

PLEASE NOTE - The author has kindly allowed her play to be put on the site, but has asked that anybody wishing to perform it pays a small donation to Ewell United Reformed Church's Junior Church fund. Further information on how to do so can be obtained by emailing us

(Class and teacher enter and sit on floor.)

Teacher: Now, as you all know, the Christmas Nativity play is in a few weeks and I have decided who’ll play the main parts. Bethany Jakes shall play Mary.

Bethany: (Exaggerated) Yes!

Teacher: Diana Campbell will play the innkeepers wife.

Diana: Oh! Miss I wanted to play Mary.

Class: (Class together) Miss, miss it’s not fair, they get to do everything.

Teacher: QUIET! Now as I was saying, Joey Beadle shall play Joseph and Jamie Hooke shall play the innkeeper.

Bethany & Diana: Yuck!

(Class bell rings. Children exit running.)

(Bethany and Diana enter)

Bethany: I’m so pleased I’m playing Mary.

Diana: Hmmmmm

Bethany: I wonder what Christmas was really like?

Diana: Beth- what’s this?

(Time fairy pops up!)

Time fairy: (in rhyme)
I am the fairy of the time machine!
I provide quick transport fast and clean!
Just tell me where you need to go!
You’ll be there before you can say Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po!

Bethany: I’ve got it!

Diana: Fetch the butterfly net! Beth’s got an idea- it’s a rare and ALMOST unknown species similar to a daddy long legs!

Bethany: We could go back in time and see what it was like when Jesus was born.

Diana: Yeah! What a good idea!

Time fairy: Ok! Two return tickets to Bethlehem coming up! Get in the time machine and we’ll be off! 5.4.3.2.1. We have lift off!

(Music is played on the piano)

(Time machine lands with a bump- girls and fairy fall on the floor!)

Diana & Bethany: Ouch!

Time fairy: Here we’re are Bethlehem! I’m going to the deli. I’m famished See you two later!

(Time fairy exits!)

Diana: Let’s take a look around!

Bethany: How will we explain our clothes?

Diana: There’s a washing line over there with robes on. Let’s borrow them

(Girls put on robes)

Bethany: Look at that lady in blue on a donkey.

Diana: It’s Mary!

Mary: Joseph, I’m so tired and I think the baby’s on the way!

Joseph : Well Mary, I don’t know where can we go? All the inns are full up! I’ll just try this last one

(Joseph knocks on door)

Joseph: Hello! Have you a spare room? My wife’s baby is on the way!

Innkeeper: I’m very sorry but we’re full…… Unless you’d like the stable.

Joseph: What do you think, Mary?

Mary: A stable is better than nothing!

Joseph: Thank you, we’ll take it!

(Walk to stable)

Bethany: And so it happened. Jesus the son of God was born in a stable.

Diana: And laid in a manger.

Bethany: But just as Mary was going to get some shut-eye, hordes of visitors arrived

(Enter shepherds)

Shepherd 1: We were looking after our sheep when an angel came. It told us that here, laid in a manger would be the son of God.

Shepherd 2: So we came to see! This wondrous site.

(Shepherds take position by the manger)

Diana: Then there were three kings.

King 1: We saw a star in the sky and followed it here to find the son of God. We have brought gifts. I have gold.

King 2: I carry frankincense.

King 3: And I bring Myrrh

(They hand over gifts)

Mary: Thank you

(Kings take position by the manger)

Diana: Let’s sing a song to baby Jesus

Bethany: All right, you start.

(song/carol Diana and Bethany sing the first lines. Everybody else joins in immediately after)

Diana: We’d better go!

(Walk to time machine)

Bethany: Time fairy we want to go home!

Time fairy: I’m staying here these deep-fried locusts beat Quavers hands down! (throwing away Quavers packet over shoulder and tucking into paper bag of ‘locusts’)

Diana: 5.4.3.2.1

Bethany: Ouch!

Diana: Well, now we know what happened when Jesus was born.

Bethany: And we also know the true meaning of Christmas

Diana: That Jesus is the son of God sent to live among us.

(Bethany and Diana look at the nativity tableau that has been created)

(Song/Carol)