Most Nativity stories include the typical cast of characters: Mary, Joseph, the infant Jesus, three wise men, sheep, donkeys, camels, and a manger in a stable in Bethlehem. But in 1961, playwright and activist Langston Hughes wrote the musical Black Nativity, which tells the Nativity story with gospel music, song and dance, a Biblical narrative, and an all-Black cast.
From Dec. 1-18, the Bishop Arts Theatre Center in Dallas will perform its own rendition of the musical performance. The theater’s annual performance of Black Nativity features a new director each year, meaning audiences see a brand-new show each season. “Langston wrote it for interpretation, so any director can come in and fill in the blanks that Langston couldn’t—or create an entirely different vision, if they wish,” says Albert Wash II, associate artistic producer. After scaling back the performance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the theater company is returning to a full-scale musical show for the play’s 18th year.
This year’s director is Dallas-based Sheridan Singleton, who is incorporating traditional African gods and goddesses into the performance. “In this adaptation of Black Nativity, we experience how this story transcends time,” she says, “from the mouths of our ancestors, to the praise and worship of today. Black Nativity is a celebration of who we are as African Americans.”
Black Nativity, Dec. 1-18
Bishop Arts Theatre Center, 215 S. Tyler St., Dallas. bishopartstheatre.org
BIG BEND COUNTRY
DEL RIO
Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting
Dec. 2
Get in the Christmas spirit with a holiday parade and tree lighting in Greenwood Park. Live music, performances, and food trucks complete the fun. Downtown Del Rio, South Main Street. 830-774-8558; www.cityofdelrio.com
MONAHANS
Christmas and Chili Market
Dec. 3
Christmas comes to Monahans with a craft show with more than 100 vendor booths. Take pictures with Santa and walk through Bethlehem. Ward County Event Center, 1525 E. Monahans Parkway. 432-943-2187; monahans.org
VAN HORN
Lighted Christmas Parade
Dec. 3
Experience the lighted parade along Broadway and an open house with vendors, food, arts and crafts, and a pecan dessert contest. Downtown Van Horn, 1801 W. Broadway St. 432-283-2682; vanhorntexas.org
GULF COAST
BAYTOWN
Christmas Past and Present
Dec. 10
Historic buildings are adorned with traditional and modern-day decorations with luminarias lighting up the pathways throughout the Living History Museum. Kids get to see Santa and tell him their wishes, cowboy poets recite poems, and docents in period clothing demonstrate what Christmas was like in the early 20th century. Republic of Texas Plaza, 5117 N. Main St. 281-421-2099; baytownhistory.org
CLUTE
Elizabethan Madrigal Feast
Dec. 2-4, 8-11
At this holiday feast, enjoy the majesty and pageantry befitting the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Join the Earl of Warwick and his royal guests in the main hall of his castle for a meal and entertainment provided by the court’s troupe of players, dancers,
