Mary Did You Know

• Mary is seated on the floor at downstage center, looking down lovingly into her lap where she mimes holding a baby.
• She mimes caressing the baby’s cheek, smiling.
• All other actors (as many as available) enter the stage just before music begins, balancing their approach from all sides.
  • More or less equal numbers of actors should end up at stage left and stage right.
  • If practical, the tallest actors should be at center and the smallest at the outsides, creating a "formed picture" from small to large.
  • Position actors so that the entire audience can always have a clear view of Mary.
• Actors, upon entering, look around excitedly and see Mary sitting there.
• One actor near center (elevated above Mary for visibility) will "notice" the baby in Mary’s arms.

• Mary's Action: Appears slightly startled, looking over her left then right shoulder but maintains her smile and looks back down to the baby.
• Actors' Action: Project toward center stage, extending their centerstage hand moderately toward Mary, offstage hand at lower chest level, both palms upward and tilted toward the audience.
  • Left-side actors extend their right hand and foot; right-side actors extend their left hand and foot.

• Mary's Action: Continues from 1a.
• Actors' Action: Centerstage hands rotate forward slightly, index finger pointing toward Mary.

• Mary's Action: Looks up, slight frown.
• Actors' Action: Hands stretch outward, palms up.

• Mary's Action: Repeats action from 1a.
• Actors' Action: Feet move to open stance, look downstage, fingers touch temples and move outward while keeping hands at head height.

• Mary's Action: Repeats action from 1b.
• Actors' Action: Same as 1b but with feet in 2a position.

• Mary's Action: Repeats action from 1c.
• Actors' Action: Elbows in close to body, fingers forward about 12 inches apart, hands ripple upward to head height.
  • As hands move upward, faces tilt upward with a slight smile, yet conveying some confusion.

• Mary's Action: Repeats 1a.
• Actors' Action: Repeats 2a.

• Mary's Action: Repeats 1b.
• Actors' Action: Repeats 2b.

• Mary's Action: Mimes confusion, unbelief.
• Actors' Action: Repeats 2c.

• Mary's Action:
  • Takes "baby" from her lap, "offers" baby outward and upward to extreme downstage left.
  • Ends with palms up, hands wide open as though releasing the baby.
  • Moves gracefully from sitting to kneeling, facing extreme downstage left.
  • Facial expression should convey sadness, fear, worry, pride, and thankfulness.
• Special Effects:
  • As Mary releases the baby, a stationary spotlight slowly comes up on a wall at extreme stage left, well above the actors.
  • The light represents Jesus and remains visible for the rest of the drama.
  • Optionally, the spotlight can shine on a mirror or reflective ball at stage left for greater impact.
• Actors' Action:
  • Carefully rehearsed movement, all actors moving as one.
  • Bodies, faces, hands "follow" the baby as Mary releases Him toward the spotlight.
  • Actors gradually transition from Action 1a to looking extreme downstage left.
  • Hands and faces raised in worship stance.

• Mary's Action: Stands at extreme downstage center, hands cupped in front of her at waist level.
• Actors' Action: Look toward Mary.

• Mary's Action: Looks over her left shoulder, slight frown as though not fully comprehending.
• Actors' Action: Look at each other excitedly.

Line 6a: Did you know that your baby boy,

• Mary's Action: Looks downward somewhat, steps back upstage slightly, showing increasing fear.

Want to see how the story unfolds? DramaShare members get this complete script— and access to our entire library—free! Not a member? You can still grab this individual script and bring it to life.