Dallas Christmas Festival
The Dallas Christmas Festival is one of the largest Christmas pageants in the US, and is one of the top-rated Christmas-related events in the state of Texas. It takes place in the Worship Center of Prestonwood Baptist Church, in Plano, Texas. DCF is one of the two largest outreach efforts of Prestonwood, with the other being PowerPoint Ministries. The executive director and producer is Reverend Todd Bell.
It usually has 500 persons, 70 pieces of orchestra and 100 behind-the-scenes technical crew members. [1] It is a three-act spectacle, that lasts for two-and-a-half hours (including a 15-minute intermission). Each year there are thirteen DCF performances, many of which sell out. There are about 70,000 guests who watch the festival’s Christmas production every year. [2]
The three acts
- The first act of the Dallas Christmas Festival is based on the pop-culture Christmas.
- The second act is the more traditional choir and soloists singing Christmas favorites. [3]
- The third act covers the entire life of Jesus Christ from his birth (Christmas celebration) through death, burial and resurrection (Easter Celebration).
Recent performances have featured
- In 1998, the production featured flying angels, live camels, donkeys, sheep and a 13,000 square foot stage which cost around $250,000. [4]
- Appearances by: Raggedy Ann dolls, Frosty, music box figurines, gingerbread men, dancing Christmas trees, reindeer, elves, Santa and Mrs Claus, and a real sleigh that flies 70 feet over the audience!
- Tap-dancing, swing dancing, ballroom dancing, and ballet.
- Live animals, horse-drawn carriages, as well as people on roller skates, bicycles and tricycles.
- The audience has been sprinkled with confetti, surrounded by stars, and have even seen it snow!
- The performance is enhanced with effects such as fog, lightning, thunderous earthquakes, and 6 angels that fly 70 feet (21 m) over the entire room.
On a large scale
There is an 85-foot-wide (26 m) proscenium arch, and about 15,000 square feet (1,400 m2) of staging area. Although the location's capacity is normally 7,000 people, the expanded staging area for DCF is so large, it covers the first 1,000 seats. The theatrical lights paint the entire room, not just the stage. The auditorium was designed, from the beginning, to complement every aspect of the 1.2-million-dollar speaker system. It was designed so that the very last row has the same level and quality of sound as the rest of the room. Sight-lines are unobstructed from every single seat. The entire stage can be seen even from the farthest seat, which is less than one-and-a-half times the width of the stage from the front.
Behind the scenes
- The man behind the whole production is the executive director and producer, R. Todd Bell. He also serves as the minister of music and worship at Prestonwood Church
- Choreography for the event is coordinated by staff member Andy Pearson
References
- ↑ Megachurches put on a megaproductions for the Christmas Story, by the Associated Press Retrieved 23 July 2013
- ↑ Gloria, A Thousand Voices Sing Christmas Retrieved 23 July 2013
- ↑ Fun Christmas Activities in Dallas Fort Worth Texas on Yahoo Voices Retrieved 23 July 2013
- ↑ Churches have a way with the manger that’s more spectacular than ever article published The Dallas Morning News on December 26, 1998 Retrieved 23 July 2013