‘THE CHRISTMAS PLAY ae presenting this play our aim was to preserve as much as possible its primitive spirit and to present it as it was played in Mediaeval times, although we used more modern carols which fitted so well into the spirit of the play that they could in no sense be considered an anachronism. The use of simple scenery, cor- rect but unostentatious costumes and careful composition of each tableau all contributed to this end. The scene is laid on the steps of a Cathedral. Two small Urchins play at dice together—a bell tolls—two Grand Ladies enter the Cathedral. A White Monk comes out and begins to. read the Christmas Story—he scowls at the Urchins who run away. Softly from inside the church come the strains of, ‘“While shepherds watched their flocks by night,’’ and the Shepherds enter slowly from the back of the audience. As the hymn continues the angel emerges [ 22 ]