Did you see the best Christmas pageant?

For Susan Baker and the Rutland Youth Theatre group under her direction, December is the busiest, but most wonderful time of year.

After weeks of rehearsals, 50 schoolchildren ranging from age 5 to 17 from Rutland and the surrounding area performed the “Best Christmas Pageant Ever” show at the Paramount Theatre.

Baker, an adjunct professor of theatre at Castleton State College, has headed the comedic performance with a classic message for years.

This year, the show featured something new, according to Becky Sowards of the Rutland Recreation and Parks Department.

“They’ll use a real baby this year,” Sowards said Wednesday.

The “pageant,” a classic tale based on a book written by Barbara Robinson, tells the story of a church and its traditional pageant being turned on its head, when a new church member takes it over and fails to recruit the usual cast.

Instead, the new director chooses the Hardman family, a group “from the other side of the tracks,” and the story goes from there, Sowards said.

Sowards called it a “sentimental comedy.”

She said she expected a larger turnout this year due to increased parent involvement.

The proceeds from ticket sales go directly back to the Rutland Youth Theatre program, according to Sowards. “I’m a real fan,” she said.

Rutland Youth Theatre is administered by the Rutland Recreation and Parks Department and according to the group’s Web site, www.rutlandyouththeatre.com, is dedicated to providing quality workshop, rehearsal and performance experiences for children and teenagers living in central Vermont.

The group produces four major shows a year in various venues, offer year-round workshops for all age groups, summer day camps and special field trip opportunities.

The Paramount Theatre is located at 30 Center St. in Rutland.

Contact Cristina Kumka at cristina.kumka@rutlandherald.com.