Show Date: December 21, 2025, 9:30 am
Summary of the Show
It’s 1954, and at Big Bill’s Drive-In restaurant, where the waitstaff sings your order and the Christmas decorations stay up all year long, excitement has never been higher. They have just won the network’s Christmas at the Drive-In contest and will host the live telecast of the Rock & Roll Christmas TV Special! While the staff gets the drive-in spruced up for the show, the customers don their best leather jackets and poodle skirts, everyone is about to get a big surprise. How is it that a simple pageant proclaiming the birth of Jesus the Savior replaces the Rock & Roll Special, and who are those singing waitresses who steal the show in place of Rock & Roll’s biggest stars? It all comes to pass with ‘50s fun, Christmas charm, cool tunes, and joy to the world in Carol of the Belles.
Important Dates
- Parent/student meeting: 10/1 7pm-7:30pm introduction to musical/parent Q&A
- Wednesday Evening Practices
- 10/1, 10/8, 10/15, 10/22, 10/29 practice from 7:00 – 7:30p
- 11/5, 11/12, 11/19, 12/3, 12/10 practice from 7:00 – 8:00p
- Speaking Parts ONLY Saturday Rehearsal: Saturday 12/13/2025 from 9:00-10:30 am
- FULL Dress Rehearsal for ALL cast & Pizza Party! Saturday 12/20/2025 from 9:30 – 11:30a
- Performance on Sunday 12/21/25 during the 9:30 am church service
- Please consider any conflicts that you might have with participating in the children’s musical knowing that it is important for our speaking parts and children’s choir members to be involved in our practices. All speaking parts will need to practice on Saturday 12/13 and the FULL cast will have a dress rehearsal on Saturday 12/20. The performance will be on Sunday 12/21/25 during the 9:30 am church service.
- Children will need to arrive at 9:10 am that morning to get into costume and prepare for the show.
- Families will be given a recording of the music so the children can practice the music and listen to it often. It is NOT necessary for speaking parts to be fully memorized but is VERY helpful for the kids to know their parts well so that they are not reading each and every word from the screen.
Please do not hesitate to contact Ashley or Miranda or Kyle (the youth director) via the church office (309-378-2651 or office@downsumc.org) with any questions that you might have.