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"She is obsessed with superheroes, especially the Mighty Marvo," she says of her character. "In the Christmas pageant, she plays the Angel of the Lord. When she first thinks of the Angel of the Lord, she immediately thinks of a superhero, bursting out of the black night. Unlike Gladys, I was raised in the church, so I know what an Angel is. I do enjoy superheroes though." Addi Jones, a 13-year-old veteran of "Annie" and "Best Christmas Pageant," this year plays Beth Bradley, the narrator of the story. "I wanted to be in 'BCPE' again because I loved the people around me and the story so much the first time. It was so much fun! I think Beth and I are similar because we have both grown up in church, very independent and she's very observant," she says. On stage, Lexie Edmunds plays Mrs. Slocum, one of the church ladies who very much doubts the ability of the new director, Grace Bradley, to salvage the Christmas pageant. Patrick Edmunds plays Bob Bradley, the husband of that beleaguered soul. "Bob and I are similar [in that] we will always support our wives no matter the task," says Patrick Edmunds. "While we may not be wholeheartedly in it at the beginning, we are there to support the strong women in our lives. "I ran the tech for this show three years ago and fell in love with it," he adds. "I love a good family show near the holidays because it's a great way for people old and young to experience theater. However, the story itself is powerful. We get to see the maturation of six children right before our eyes as they learn the true meaning of Christmas and the reason for the season. Seeing it on the lineup for this year, I knew this was a great opportunity for me to be on stage again with Lexie and Carter (my brother- in-law). Getting to be on stage with Daniel (my brother-in-law) and Liam (my son) as they make their APT debuts is the best Christmas present I could hope for this year." It's those brand-new thespians that Lexie Edmunds is taking care of backstage, and her goal is to make sure they want to come back for more when they're older. "I wanted to do this for many reasons," she explains. "The first being two of my brothers, husband, and one of our sons are in the show. I wanted this experience with them. My mom actually is taking over a role, so this will be her debut as well! "Second, I wanted to make this a place these children wanted to go. I believe it's the first show for most of them, and since the Angel Choir is only in the pageant portion of the show, I wanted their backstage experience to be fun." Director Brenda Nemec does her part making that happen, saying she separates the show into small scenes for rehearsal and then works individual scenes with a few actors at a time. "I try to be funny, but not sure that always goes over well," she adds, laughing. "We talk about the play, we talk about acting in general and they even get to talk about themselves at times! The biggest rule is they can't talk when I am talking!! "I have participated in and directed so many church pageants it is crazy," Nemec adds. "This show is a combination of many of those pageants all mixed together! This play is about the birth of Jesus, and we talk about that a lot during the show, but you don't have to be Christian to understand the joy and amazement of Christmas!" JAN. 4-9 | 8 SHOWS! TICKETS START AT $41! Broadway Supporters: Bob & Becky Alexander Friends of Broadway Broadway Series Sponsor: Media Support: Additional support provided by Bill & LeAnn Underwood Show Sponsor: 4 WHAT'S UP! DECEMBER 5-11, 2021 COVER STORY BCPE Continued From Page 3