The Christmas Revels | en

The Christmas Revels are a changing group of musical performers who put on seasonal stage performances in a number of American cities. The performances involve singing, dancing, recitals, theatrics (usually as brief skits, often humorous), and usually some audience participation, all appropriate to the season. Performers are usually local, often non-professional, and frequently young.

The initial performance of the Christmas Revels was organized by John Langstaff and took place at Town Hall in New York, NY in 1957.

Langstaff and his daughter, Carol Langstaff, started producing "The Christmas Revels" again in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1971, at Harvard University's Sanders Theater. The Christmas Revels are produced and managed by Revels, Inc., (www.revels.org). The Christmas Revels perform a variety of traditional and folk music. There are now shows incorporating traditional English, Irish, early American, and African-American material, among others.

Revels troupes are now active in ten cities across the United States, and the repertoire has expanded beyond season Christmas performances to encompass a range of traditional and folk material. .