The Christmas Play Alumnae Telegrams
(from left to right) The Christmas Play: 1939, 1941, 1955, 1958, 1992, 2013, 2016, 2017
2024 Christmas Play Alumnae Telegrams
Bobbie Gail Brown Rothschild ’54 | I know all of you are angels! Enjoy this beautiful performance – be proud of your participation. Enjoy your holidays. Blessings to you all!
Daisy Fitch Crowley ’61 | You are taking part in what has become a wonderful Charleston tradition – and what will be a special memory for each of you.
Mary Ann Paul Robeson ’66 | May the rejoicing in Mary’s Song, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour” (Luke 1:46-47), be the sincere rejoicing of every heart performing and watching the play.
Lynn Foskett Pierson ’68 | How special to be part of the 100th anniversary of this production. Enjoy every moment of it and savor your part in this significant and celebratory piece of Ashley Hall history. Break a leg!
Pluma Chucknow Bridgers ’69 | Remember this as one of the sweetest times you have at AH.
Missy Craver Izard ’71 | I so wish I could be at Ashley Hall for this special 100th Anniversary Celebration of the Christmas Play. I know it will be exceptional. Best wishes to all of the current cast. I would love to send special wishes to Anne Hutson’s little granddaughter, who is a little angel – there have been many little angels in the Smith family, including my oldest, dearest friend, Sallie Smith Shisko, who the Littlest Angel Scholarship is named for. Break a leg!
Nancy J. Muller ’71 | Congratulations on this 100th Anniversary of the Ashley Hall Christmas Play! What a lifetime memory this performance will be for you. I wish you all the very best and know you are each doing your best. Relax, enjoy every moment, and don’t think too hard about what you are supposed to do. Have a wonderful time as you head into the holiday season.
Laurie Arnold Host ’73 | Congratulations to the cast and crew of this year’s Christmas Play, and thank you for carrying on this well-loved tradition into its 100th year. A special congratulations to my granddaughter, Pippa Host, a Little Angel. Pippa, I was a Big Angel in the play 52 years ago. I am very proud to think of you walking down the aisle to surround the nativity scene. I love that you are embracing all of the traditions at Ashley Hall, a place that has meant so much to me for so many years. Love, BB
Anne Frances Bleecker ’76 | Special wishes to the First Shepherd – it is so hard to believe that it has been 50 years since I was in that role! Makes me miss all of my friends and that special play with Miss Keith as the Director! Have a wonderful Christmas Play!
Katharine E. Hutson ’78 | This year, I want to send out loads of love and wishes for great success to Nela Long. Nela, you are following in some mighty footsteps, and I know you will outshine us all! I can’t wait to hear you blow that horn, and I can see you walk on woods, full-wide. Go, girl, go!
Margie Davis Barham ’86 | Whether this is your first or your last year in the Christmas Play, THANK YOU for this incredible gift! Alumnae everywhere, as well as the faculty, staff, and local community, cherish this 100th-year tradition! Don’t forget to take a deep breath and take it all in – the music, the singing, the solos, the history and beauty of it all, the togetherness, the first of the lasts, the traditions, and pretty much everything about it. Have fun, take pictures, soak it in, and rock it out, ladies!
Laura Utsey McElwaine ’87 | Good luck to Reid and the rest of the cast! This is such a wonderful tradition that you will cherish forever!
Mary Perrin Johnson O’Kelley ’90 | Dear Perrin- We cannot believe that it’s your turn to be an angel.! I am so happy to share this beautiful tradition with you, your sister, your aunts, and many other Ashley Hall Alumnae. Much love, Mom
To the Entire Cast- Thank you for all the time and hard work you have put into this performance. Your gift to the community is truly appreciated.
Caroline Pinckney Fitzgerald ’93 | To Callie and all of the members of the play, good luck, and enjoy every second of tonight. What you are all participating in will be a cherished memory in the not-too-distant future….the songs, the play itself- I can still recite most of it, and I never had a speaking part! I hate to miss, but I know it will be a fantastic evening. I am looking forward to the video!
Caroline Wilson Frenzel ’93 | My favorite memory was our senior year with everyone together. I remember being excited, tearful, thankful and appreciating every moment of it. Special wishes to Callie Sanders.
Jeanne H. Bucknam ’97 | Kate McEwen -I am so glad to see you as a Littlest Angel, a longstanding family tradition! Bravo to all of the wonderful and talented cast!
Annie Hutson McEwen ’05 | Good luck to the cast of the 100th anniversary of the Christmas Play. I know it will be beautiful. Remember to smile and speak loudly! Enjoy every moment! Can’t wait to see the baby angels, especially my daughter, Kate McEwen 😉 PQV
Jessica McDowell Painter ’13 | To the current cast and crew, I sincerely hope that you all have enjoyed the Christmas Play season at our beloved Ashley Hall. It is such a wonderful privilege to be able to perform in this historic production with one’s friends. I so wish that I could be there for the 100th anniversary, but know I will be cheering you on from afar. Break all the legs.
Catherine Dixon ’19 | Take this moment in! Especially you beautiful seniors dressed in your gorgeous pastels. You will look back on this night fondly, so take a deep breath, release your nerves, and just have fun telling a magnificent story with some of your greatest friends and cheerleaders! I am rooting for you!
Ally Noone ’19 | To the choir: I know how much hard work goes into learning Christmas Play repertoire. You have a difficult job! You have to know your music AND your marks! But now is the time to be present in all the music you create together. You are responsible for illustrating this sacred story’s solemn and joyful atmosphere. The text and notes you sing help the audience to connect with the play’s core message in ways that words or images alone cannot. Your purpose now extends beyond yourself, which should feel both humbling and empowering. You are in good hands with Mrs. Cook! She’s an expert at connecting to and conveying, music’s deeper sentiment. I know this first hand- I’ve been her student for the past 10 years! The next century of the Christmas Play is bound to be as meaningful as the first, as long as you do your best, lean into your roles as a musical storytellers, and are grateful for the opportunity to participate in this beautiful expression of hope.
Meg McElwaine ’20 | Wishing the best of luck to the whole cast, but I’d like to give a special shoutout to my little sister Reid McElwaine. I can’t believe that it’s your senior year, the last of the McElwaine sisters to go. Cherish all the memories with your friends and keep them close even after graduation. You’ll be talking about your Ashley Hall memories for years after, especially about the Christmas Play. I’m excited to see you dressed up as a beautiful angel and I know you’ll do amazing.
Margaret O’Kelley ’20 | Break a leg, everyone! Can’t wait to see you all out there!
To Perrin, I am so proud of you and excited for you to get to be a part of this remarkable tradition. It makes me beam to see how you have made Ashley Hall your own and shined as a student for the past four years. It is such a privilege to be your sister and get to see the person you are becoming. Enjoy every second of senior year, it is the most special time and will be gone in the blink of an eye! You and your classmates are so lucky to get to be in this place together, making countless precious memories. I am so so so proud of you and can’t wait to see you out there tonight. I know you will shine!
Grayson Brewer ’21 | Best wishes to the entire cast, how special to be a part of the play in its 100th year! Mary Wade, I can still see you walking down the aisle as a baby angel in 1st grade. I’m so glad I got back from Scotland in time to see you as a mother angel.
Phia Anderson ’22 | To all of the senior angels, y’all will remember tonight forever so take it all in as you walk around the church tonight!! To my sister Gabby, I hope you have a great show tonight and continue to make the best memories with your friends. Love you so much . To the rest of the cast break a leg yall will do great!!
Hannah Atkins ’23 | Hey Kennedy, it’s Hannah. I am so excited to see you tonight up on stage as an angel and as a member of the choir. This is one of your last Ashley Hall traditions and it is such a special one so make the most of tonight, get all the pictures you can, and stay excited for the final things to come. I am so proud of all the hard work you have put in, not just this year, but every year, inside and outside of school. You are the best sister that I could have and I cannot wait to get to go to school with you again! Pony up, good luck, I love you!
Sarah Barham ’24 | To all of the senior angels, y’all will remember tonight forever, so take it all in as you walk around the church tonight!! To my sister Gabby, I hope you have a great show tonight and continue to make the best memories with your friends. Love you so much . To the rest of the cast break a leg yall will do great!!
Kloe Donner ’24 | To my two perfect juniors but now seniors, Miya and Reid: I am so proud of how far you have come. I know that both of you are going to do great things and I can’t wait to hear about it every step of the way. Make sure that you look around and appreciate the opportunity you have been given to spend every day with your best friends. Take a second to relish this moment because sitting all together laughing and crying will be over in a blink. And to Perrin, there are not enough words to express what amazing things you are going to do. I am so infinitely proud of the person you have become. I don’t know how I would survive without you by my side, thank you for being a shoulder to cry on and a reason to laugh. Lastly, to the whole senior class, you all are going to look beautiful and I can not wait to see all of you angels. Remember to cherish the little things. I love you guys to the moon and back!
Kirsten Marshall ’24 | Hi Red Choir Girlies. I just know for a fact that you guys are going to do amazing tonight. All the songs are going to sound so great. To my sweet Juniors Dagny and Kate. I miss y’all like crazy and I am so proud of all of the things you two have accomplished. I am cheering you two on from college, and I love you both more than you know. Hopefully I will see you two very soon. To the senior class, congrats on making it to your last Christmas Play and almost finishing your second to last semester at Ashley Hall. It goes by very fast so enjoy every second and take a lot of photos. And to my best friend Iris, I am so beyond proud of all of things you have accomplished. I seriously couldn’t do life without you and I am so thankful to call you my best friend. You better send me photos Iris Louise. I miss you so much but I will see you so soon. I love you forever and always. I hope you all have a great I, I know everyone will love it.
Gloria Migliori ’24 | Class of 2025, walking down that aisle today will be a moment you’ll think back to for the rest of your life. I know you’re probably thinking that tonight symbolizes a goodbye, but what this tradition as angels truly symbolizes is the end of a chapter, not the end of the the book. All the same characters are in the next chapter, and that’s why being an Ashley Hall girl is so special; you get to bring the sisterhood you’ve built with you wherever you go, for the rest of your life. There’s someone in this room who I’d like to address separately… and that’s my sweet sister Mackenzie. Kenz, you have never once failed to impress me, and even though I’m supposed to be the big sister, I look up to you everyday. I can’t wait to watch you along with your classmates walking down the aisle, and if you’re looking for me in the audience… I’ll be the one uncontrollably crying. I’m so proud of you Mackenzie. Finally, Class of 2025… soak up every second of tonight. Like I said; tonight will stick with you forever. Congratulations girls.
Eva Gray Tiller ’24 | Time will fly faster than you think so make sure to enjoy every second of it and cherish the time you have left with your friends. To my sweet juniors Cissy and Sims, I love y’all so so much and I am sure y’all look so beautiful, y’all are my definition of angels and I’m so proud of you both, and can’t wait to see you and how far you have come. Have so much fun tonight and take it all in, it truly is such a special tradition that you will never forget. Good luck and I love you all!!