December 13, 2025 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Five questions with Ben Gilly of the ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’

Tonight at 7 p.m, The St. Joseph Church of Christ will present “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.”

We asked Ben Gilly, who is Bob Bradley, to answer five questions for us.

What can you tell me about your character?
I play the character of Bob Bradley, husband to Grace and father to Beth and Charlie; a
solid family man. Bob is begrudgingly tasked to help his wife with wrangling the kids together for
the pageant.

What has been your favorite part about the pageant?
I’ve enjoyed watching the children of the cast grow and develop their characters. Many
of them came in with little to no theatre experience and have really learned a lot and put
together a great show.

What do you hope the audience takes away from the story?
While presented mostly as a comedy, the core of the show is the biblical telling of
Christ’s birth. Audience members should expect to laugh, cry, and learn about the meaning of
Christmas. I hope everyone is able to see a little bit of themselves in the characters of the story.

What has it been like acting with your kids?
My daughter, Ellie, has loved every bit of this show. My wife and I have both always had
a soft spot for drama and theatre and it’s been awesome to watch our girl express herself and
learn how to have a stage presence. It’s been a real bonding moment for her and I too since we
have some inside jokes and stories that the rest of our family hasn’t been a part of.

What is your favorite part of the Christmas season overall?
I’m a sucker for classic nostalgia. I love driving around town looking at lights and
decorations, watching ALL the holiday movie favorites (including Die Hard), singing carols,
spending time with family; just all the traditions of the season!

Banner
Related Posts

Program to promote rail trail tourism

March 22, 2019

March 22, 2019

On March 29 St. Joseph will be visited by someone who lives and breathes tourism. Amy Camp, owner of Cycle...

St. Joseph Chamber announces Little Princess Candidates

July 26, 2024

July 26, 2024

Chloe TeareDaughter of Lacey Tearehttps://gofund.me/33cb22e1 Annah FiedlerDaughter of Mallory and Darren Fiedler https://gofund.me/ee2f024e Keeley Mackenzie McGuireDaughter of Regan and Kyle...

Weekend Family Fun Guide July 19-20

July 19, 2019

July 19, 2019

Our Family Fun Weekend Guide, sponsored by Island Travel Group & Events, features three fairs and festivals! July 19 Champaign...

Around Town March 4-8

March 4, 2019

March 4, 2019

If you want your event included please email us at stjosephrecord@gmail.com March 4 Story Time for Children 6:30 p.m. St...

Talk of the Town… Halloween Parade edition

October 24, 2019

October 24, 2019

Every week we ask a St. Joseph official three questions. This week we talked to Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges about her...

Weekend Family Fun Guide

June 14, 2019

June 14, 2019

Every weekend we pick at least three events that we think are can’t miss for families in this area. This...

Willowdale Winter Wonderland to open tonight

December 9, 2020

December 9, 2020

The Willowdale subdivision north of St. Joseph has created a winter wonderland. Resident Lacey Smith organized the multi-night event which...

Weekend Family Fun Guide- June 8

June 7, 2019

June 7, 2019

June 8 Touch a truck 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Barber Park, Mahomet Kids can climb on and explore police cars, fire...

‘Helping them reach their potential is humbling and rewarding at the same time’

January 26, 2023

January 26, 2023

A performance today will culminate one of the most powerful artistic and personal experiences Justin Lee has had in his...

Weekend family fun guide for Feb.8-10

February 7, 2019

February 7, 2019

Need something to do with the family to beat the winter blues? Here are our weekend picks for family fun....

Weekend Family Fun Guide

June 24, 2019

June 24, 2019

Every week we select some events that would provide your family with some fun. This post is sponsored by Island...

Five questions with Lindsey Parrish of “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever”

December 1, 2022

December 1, 2022

Tonight at 7 p.m, The St. Joseph Church of Christ will present “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.” We asked Lindsey...

St. Joseph resident Lewis to star in ‘Frozen Jr.’

September 21, 2019

September 21, 2019

Hayden Lewis loves to act. The St. Joseph Middle School student is participating in the The Champaign Urbana Theatre Company...

Around Town April 15-20

April 14, 2019

April 14, 2019

APRIL 15Summer Camp Registration All Day Registration for summer camps at Homer Lake and Lake of the Woods Forest Preserves...

‘This role has been an amazing one to take on’

April 1, 2022

April 1, 2022

Wyatt Loghry has loved the Addams Family since he was little. And now, he is playing the patriarch, Gomez Addams....

Comments
Leave a Reply