Even Christmas Pageant Gets Texas-Sized Staging
PLANO, Texas — In a state where everything seems bigger, a Baptist church is staging a Christmas pageant that is pure Texas-sized.
The cast and crew exceed 1,000 people.
Sometimes 500 people are on stage at once -- not to mention a donkey, several sheep and three camels.
Prestonwood Baptist Church can seat 7,000.
The stage, which is triple the size of the one in New York’s Radio City Music Hall, measures 15,000 square feet.
There’s strong competition to play the five angels with shimmering, translucent wings who “fly” along metal tracks in the ceiling and hover above the manger.
Winning performers are chosen on the basis of seniority and past effort.
Last year, 45,000 people bought tickets -- priced from $12 to $22 -- for the 150-minute spectacle.
Church officials expect 65,000 this season.
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