Produce The Jazz Nativity
You can produce this joyful, inspiring show in your community!
It has been performed with local casts throughout the country: in Utica, NY, Colorado Springs, Evanston and Chicago, IL, Topeka, KS and Greensboro, NC…. Audiences of all faiths and beliefs love it.
Mary (Amy London) and Joseph (Robert Encila)
“What an awesome experience—worthy of Broadway with fantastic choral and orchestral music, dancing and spiritual messages. Kudos to West Market St. UMC for bringing this wonderful gift to our community!”
– Barbara Gesse, Greensboro News & Record, NC
In Greensboro it has been an annual community holiday event for twenty years! State and community magazines have written glowing features about the show.
(Review from Our State | Review from O. Henry Magazine)
The light is meant to serve as light serves for so many religions and philosophies, as a symbol of truth and love. And hope – hope that in a dark season we may begin to see the world ‘Bending Towards the Light.’
– Charles Kuralt, host prologue
The Shepherds (Robert Encila, Jordan Kirkwood, Dylan Pramuk)
Bending Towards the Light … A Jazz Nativity is a perfect event for families and children of all ages. Everyone loves the moment when the Kings arrive and present the gift of their talent.
“Incredible show! You deserve an award! Our children were blown away!
They couldn’t stop talking about it! Thank you for including the Early Stages Program in your sponsorship project.”
– Arthur Mills, Office of the Mayor, NYC
Tap-dancing King, Maurice Chestnut
from the Composer:
One of the things that makes Bending Towards the Light… A Jazz Nativity so easy to produce is that each of the characters only has one song: the Guardian Angels’ “What Child is This?,” Mary and Joseph’s lullaby “Softly fall the Gentle Night,” the shepherd child’s “Bending Towards the Light,” and so on. There are parts for a community or church choir on three songs and in the joyful finale. A recognizable personality in your community makes a good host, and can help to draw an audience.
One of the Kings (Art Baron) presents the gift of his talent to Mary (Hilary Kole)
Bending Towards the Light… A Jazz Nativity is sung, played and danced from beginning to end. It is truly a “jazz opera.” In New York, the show has been co-produced by Kindred Spirits and Chelsea Opera. It is a combination of traditional Christmas carols, a spirited carol in 5/4 written by Dave and Iola Brubeck, and original music. The story is told by a soprano and a jazz vocal group or full choir. The band is an eight piece jazz band. The Kings are two instrumentalists and a tap dancer. It is indeed an unusual and exciting combination of jazz, opera, theater and dance.
“A most extraordinary and powerful blending of opera and jazz… absolutely truthful to both genres.”
– Mauricio Trejo, Sony Classical Recording Artist
and winner of the International Caruso Competition
“A compelling evening in which the secular and sacred swirl and soar!”
– Chuck Berg, Topeka News Journal
“None of the classics is half so giddy, nor so utterly entertaining as the Jazz Nativity that burst onto the stage of Orchestra Hall on Sunday afternoon!”
– Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune
I hope that you will want to introduce your community to this new and different, but already much loved, holiday show.
– Anne Phillips
composer, arranger, producer
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