Some Notes on a Christmas Tradition
The Pageant of the Nativity will be presented on Saturday, December 21, at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., in the Lang Music Building at Swarthmore College. The 5 p.m. performance tends to fill quickly, so come early! If driving, please use the college’s north entrance on Elm Street.
The dark filled with color and light. Timeless. Respectful silence filled with song. Timeless. A community come together in a decades-old tradition.
It has been 81 years since the first production of the Pageant of the Nativity here in Swarthmore. This dream of Charles D. Mitchell, director of the Swarthmore Players, came to fruition under his direction at 5:30 in the evening of December 18, 1938. Set in Clothier Memorial Chapel on the Swarthmore College campus, the pageant attracted 2,500 attendees — so many that a second presentation had to be given at 7:00. Two performances continue to this day, although in 1985 the venue changed from Clothier to the Lang Concert Hall.
The first sponsor of the pageant was Frances M. White, a graduate of Swarthmore College who lived on Walnut Lane. She supported the pageant as a memorial to her son, Donald Franklin Darlington, Jr., whom she adopted after his parents died. Donald had been enthusiastic about dramatics, writing plays, building a puppet theater, and acting in Players’ Club productions. He died of an infection in December 1937, when he was 16.
The Pageant was performed every December through 1942. Following a three-year pause during World War II, it was resumed on a biennial basis and, after another hiatus or two, began its current odd-numbered-year schedule.
From its inception, the pageant has “been entered into by the people of Swarthmore.” Early choral accompaniment came from local churches; costume makers were drawn from both Friends Meeting and the Presbyterian church; crews for lighting and set-making, as well as the several dozen enactors, were all citizens of the borough. Funds came from churches, the Woman’s Club, Rotary, local businesses, and private individuals. The involvement of townspeople in the pageant’s production continues to this day.
One of the most arresting features of the pageant is the costuming. Perhaps “modified Art Deco” is the closest term to define the style: simple, straight, organic lines. Some of the original costumes remain in use, such as Mary’s cape, many of the men’s jackets, and the women’s sandals. When costumes, especially those worn by the women, have had to be re-made, the old ones have been carefully taken apart and used as patterns. For any new costume, every effort has been made to adhere to the original colors. And, as in everything else, all the work, including ironing the voluminous angels’ robes, has been done by local volunteers. Also still in use from decades past are the angels’ horns, made of wood; the gifts of the three kings; the shepherds’ crooks; and the manger.
The pageant is just that. It is a set of living tableaux representing four important stages in the development of Christianity: Isaiah’s prophecy, the Annunciation, the adoration of the shepherds, and the Nativity scene. It concludes with a candle, signifying Christ’s message to the world.
Because of the worshipful focus of the Pageant, the actors remain anonymous. Neither they nor the chorus members are recognized in the usual sense: there is no applause, no bows. In the original old-fashioned, timeless words used to invite the community, “All who come in the spirit of reverence and worship will be welcomed.”
