OACT

Meet some of the talented actors and staff of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever here at the Ojai Art Center: December 4th – 20th, 2026

DIANNE MILLER:

     “Greetings!  I’m Dianne Miller and I play the role of Connie in the Best Christmas Pageant Ever.  The true spirit of the Christmas season isn’t found on Amazon or at the mall, but is easily felt when we embark on a musical adventure like this one!  It reminds me of my earliest roles as Mary in our own church pageant.  A role I relished! I got to hold the baby Jesus doll!  The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a whimsical story that is bound to please young and old alike.  A reminder too that the Arts are available for all ages and bring people together in community..  I love playing the role of Connie who has a set idea on how the pageant should be run, but her vision will be adjusted and heart expanded by the end of this very fun musical!”

ARDEN SMITH:

     “Hello! I’m Arden, and I am playing Betty in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever with OACT. I believe people should take time to see our show to experience the pure joy of the story and forget about what might be weighing on them for even just a minute. My first performance was in a recital for the first vocal studio I took lessons with, I was six years old and sang ‘Part of Your World!’ I think it is extremely important for people of all ages to take part in some form of arts because the arts help people learn about themselves and others, and help build essential social emotional skills. Meet my character from BCPE: Betty.  She did not grow up in the church, but began attending when she married her husband. She fell in love with the community and her friends, Helen, Connie and Luanne, and became very involved in many of the church’s activities and events. She is, however, fairly chaotic in the best way, slightly judgmental and sassy, and is willing to do whatever it takes to make sure her friends are happy. Thankfully, she can’t deny the Christmas Spirit for too long, and learns acceptance in a way she hasn’t had to before.”

SUZY THATCHER:

     “Hi!  I’m Suzy Thatcher and I’m playing Helen in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.  I think the message of joy in community and the power  of changing our perspective to embrace and include  others is a beautiful  theme to consider especially during our busy Holiday time.  My very first performances were as a ballerina first in sweet, soft slippers and ultimately at nine years, in those gorgeous pink toe shoes I will never forget.  I was sure then that I wanted only to be a Prima Ballerina when I grew up. Although my life took a different direction, I am enthralled with dance, particularly ballet and I cry when I see it performed.   We learn so much about each other and ourselves through performing in the Arts. Families and friends of all ages form new relationships, rekindle older ones and are inspired by the energy and passion exhibited by youngsters, middlers and seniors alike.  Helen is a multitasking steamroller who takes pride in what she has accomplished as a teacher and director.   She loves the children of the community and their families.  She has a big heart but can be quite rigid when she is not in control.  She had friends who support her but usually chooses to accomplish things independently relying only upon herself.  Her experience with vulnerability with Grace directing the pageant and what the Herdmans did in the end affected her deeply and she was able to admit she had been wrong and look at them with new eyes of love and acceptance.”

GAI JONES:

     “I am Gai Jones, I volunteered to serve as Producer and Assistant Director. I’m so proud of the students and their parents who have been in previous OACT or OAC Youth Productions who are part of this show. We welcome some youth who played children in A Christmas Story and now return to the OACT stage. We welcome some new youth and adults to this production- many of whom you saw in Company or Annie, or other productions. Steven Silvers diligence as Vocal Director is remarkable. Hayley Silvers brings a lightness to this production, which has shown when she directed elsewhere. This is an ensemble and many are working behind the scenes to create the world of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. We have decided to celebrate several Winter holidays.

     In the near future, I will be directing The Miracle Worker plus the Summer Youth Production, TBA. We hope that The Best Christmas Pageant Ever will put a smile in your world.”

HAYLEY SILVERS (Director/Choreographer):

     “I’m Hayley Silvers, and I’m directing The Best Christmas Pageant Ever at the Ojai Art Center Theater. I’m also the Artistic Director of Camarillo Junior Theatre and the founder of Lights Up Theatrical Standards, and I’ve spent years directing young performers in schools around the area. Bringing this show to Ojai is a joy.

     The holidays are busy, and a lot of us spend them rushing between obligations. This show asks you to sit still for a couple of hours with your neighbors and laugh. It’s about a family of unruly kids who take over the town Christmas pageant, and in the process they remind everyone what the story is really about. It’s funny, it’s warm, and it has heart. You’ll see your community on stage, and you’ll leave feeling a little lighter than when you came in. It runs weekends December 4th – 20th, so bring the whole family.

     My first ever show was a production of Cats; I played reincarnated Grizabella. What I remember most about the show is how the older kids took me under their wing and gave me a love for the kind of community theatre built onstage. We all trusted each other to do our job and help the audience experience a story. I loved sense of unity and purpose.  The arts are one of the few places where a seven-year-old, a seventeen-year-old, and a seventy-year-old can work on the same project as equals. Kids build confidence, empathy, and the courage to be seen. Adults get creativity and play back, which daily life tends to squeeze out. Older folks get connection and purpose and the opportunity to share hard-won wisdom. When different ages share a stage, everyone learns from everyone else, and the community gets stronger. You don’t have to be a ‘performer’ to benefit. You just have to show up and take part.

     I’m the Director of this brilliant and beautiful piece. I have a deep love for this story because the play version is the first show I directed in the Ventura County Theatre Community, and it led me to create my own company and work at various schools as their Drama Director. This is the story of where my personal journey started, and it is a story of reminding everyone that we are far more alike than we are different, that recognizing the unique spark in each person is the key to unlocking miracles.”

MARIA DAVID:

     “I’m Maria David and my character is Luann, church lady.  This show is a perfect break from holiday overbooked life to refocus on the whole reason for our busy.  This is an uplifting, FUNNY and heartwarming story.  The young actors in this show are seriously talented and cute! The directors are likewise amazing and talented. Honestly the process with this team is so rewarding and the finished product will be icing on the cake that you will get to enjoy without the calories.

     My first performance was portraying a Hot Box girl in the musical Guys and Dolls.  A shout out to our amazing theater teacher, Greg Pemberton at Riverside Brookfield in Illinois.  My love of musical theater was planted there and grown through amazing mentoring and instruction.  This lead to so many experiences in musical theater including set construction, performance, prop running, and even playing in a pit band performance of Jesus Christ Superstar.  I was exceptionally shy in high school and theater helped me out of that shell. I was also a musician, oboe, for many years in bands, marching band, chamber music groups, church music groups for many years beyond my high school experience. Major benefit from participating in the arts is developing discipline.  Being a part of something bigger than yourself.  Not all kids are athletes.  They don’t fit in the same mold.  Arts give students, especially those on the fringe, a place to fit in, work together, and create something.   It’s a great place to the great life lesson of how to get along with others , especially difficult people you may not enjoy working with.  Great place to shift teen focus from ‘me’ to ‘us’ and how can I help.

     I am a sassy church lady in the show, which is a role I have played much of my life.  Despite our gossip and eye roles throughout the show we learn in the end that love wins always.  Whether you are a believer or not love and appreciation of your fellow humans is urgently needed in our current world.  Most importantly we learn the things we should already know and practice from the love and acceptance of the children in the show.”

We can’t wait to bring you more interviews in the weeks leading up to the opening of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical.

Weekends, December 4th – 20th, 2026
Fridays and Saturdays at 7:00 PM
Sundays at 2:00 PM

Get your tickets now!