May 21, 2026 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

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...

Leemon to be honored Sunday

September 3, 2020

September 3, 2020

St. Joseph will honor one of its heroes on Sept. 6 at 6 p.m. Sgt. Dustin Leemon of the United...

Around Town May 27-June 1

May 27, 2019

May 27, 2019

May 28 St. Joseph Village Board meeting 7 p.m. Village Hall 207 E. Lincoln SJO School Board 6 p.m. St....

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...

Weekend Family Fun Guide for Jan. 17-20

January 17, 2020

January 17, 2020

Friday, January 17MLK Jr. Event The annual county wide Dr. Martin Luther King Junior celebration will take place at the...

Local towns schedule egg hunts

April 10, 2019

April 10, 2019

April 13 St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce Easter Egg Hunt The Chamber of Commerce stuffs 1500 eggs with candy, stickers,...

St. Joseph man peacefully protests against police brutality: ‘We need to listen’

June 4, 2020

June 4, 2020

Jon Arteaga isn’t looking for any praise by protesting at the corner of Main Street and Route 150 in St....

Running for a good cause

March 3, 2021

March 3, 2021

John Lubinski has a sizable commute each day to get from his home in St. Joseph to his place of...

St. Joe Auto giving back to community in multiple ways amid pandemic

April 17, 2020

April 17, 2020

Casey and Matt Phillips wanted to do something to brighten the St. Joseph community. So the husband and wife that...

Deadline approaching for Pageant

May 27, 2019

May 27, 2019

The deadline to compete in the Champaign County Fair Queen and Little Miss Pageant is this week. The Champaign County...

Short hopes to light up St. Joseph

December 8, 2020

December 8, 2020

Audrey Short wants to light up St. Joseph for Christmas. Short is urging the community to take part in a...

Peters says goodbye to Public Works

April 12, 2026

April 12, 2026

Every morning before he officially clocked in to work, Mike Peters would drive through the streets of St. Joseph.  He...

Orr to celebrate 100th birthday with parade today

April 20, 2021

April 20, 2021

St. Joseph resident Audrey Orr is turning 100. To celebrate her family has organized a birthday parade for noon today....

Fire Protection District welcomes public to their new home

November 16, 2019

November 16, 2019

Rusty Chism would have felt a sense of pride. At least that’s the hope of St. Joseph-Stanton Fire Protection District...

Comments
Leave a Reply