CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. – Chambersburg Community Theatre will bring its production of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!” to the Capitol Theatre’s stage (159 S. Main St.) this weekend.

There will be four showings: Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets can be bought at Chambersburg Community Theatre’s website.

In this hilarious Christmas classic, a couple struggling to put on a church Christmas pageant is faced with casting the Herdman kids – probably the most inventively awful kids in history – as the primary figures of the nativity. The show is adapted from the bestselling young adult book, and it has become a holiday staple for groups across the United States.

The show reminds audiences that the seemingly nicest people can sometimes be the most judgmental, the most rough-and-tumble children can bring the sweetest moments, and that what looks like the worst pageant might actually be the best Christmas pageant ever.

Director and CCT board member AimeeBeth Davis has taken on the challenge of wrangling her 33-person cast, whose ages range from six to 60, to tell a story that is both funny and heartwarming.

“It’s a change of heart for [the Herdman kids], and it’s a change of heart for the people around them,” said Davis. “They’re not as bad as people think they are.”

She credited the show’s message for making it a classic year after year.

“I think the fact that it makes you remember that you shouldn’t judge anybody by how they act or where they’re from,” said Davis. “I think that’s the biggest message, and I think that’s what continues to make it a story that’s really impactful but also funny. There are comedic moments, but it still gives you a little bit of that ‘Oh, that was very sweet.’”

The cast has rehearsed twice per seek since the beginning of September with each rehearsal lasting about two hours.

For Davis, directing the show is a bit of a homecoming. She had been cast as Beth Bradley, the character who narrates the story, in CCT’s production back in 2011. She was 17, and it was the first time she was cast in a major role.

“I had auditioned for the show without really knowing what the story was about,” said Davis. “I walked in just kind of hoping for something but not really knowing what I was coming in for.”

She added: “It holds a very special place in my heart.”

Her own experience as an actor has shaped how she works with the children on her own set.

“It made me realize how I would want to direct children,” she said. “Making sure that they felt included in the voices of their characters, and really make sure that it felt like they were having fun. That’s how I felt when we were doing it. It always felt light.”

Davis said that being involved with theater at a young age can be beneficial for children. 

“Doing theater, at least from my perspective, has given me an interesting set of skills to kind of come at a lot of things with no fear,” said Davis. “If you can go out on stage and be goofy and silly and all of those sorts of things, doing them in real life is a little less scary. You still get nervous, but I think that when you’re a theater kid you get this set of skills that allow you to come at things with no fear.”

For a theater kid, the initial nervousness can be turned into an asset, and it is something that Davis expects to see in actors of any age during auditions.

“Being nervous means that you care,” she said. “I take into consideration that standing in front of three adults – as a six year old – is a little intimidating.”

What matters most is whether or not the anxiety can be converted into an excited, energetic cast that takes direction well.

“These kids have worked super hard,” said Davis. “We walked into this will all of these children of such varying ages, and they’re so patient and they’re so willing to learn. They’re very attentive, and I think that’s one thing that gets missed. For an adult, it’s easy to stand there and wait your turn, but sometimes as a kid you just get so excited.”

She added: “I’ve got to remember that they’re 10, and they’re being as patient as they can be.”

Like with the Herdmans, working with children can be challenging.  

And like with “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!” it has the potential to make a production that much more heartwarming.