ONE lucky donkey could enjoy its big bray-k into the world of acting this Christmas, as producers of Swindon's nativity production The Journey are recruiting for the role.

The little donkey will carry Mary on a dusty Bath Road, as the song almost goes, to Wood Street - which will represent Bethlehem.

The donkey cast in this starring role will need to be of a calm disposition, so it won't be alarmed by the audience and the town environment, and happy to be ridden by the mother of Jesus for the short journey.

The play on Sunday December 9, is an immersive transient performance, produced by Christ Church, directed and written by Anna Friend. With a cast of 70, the play will begin at Lethbridge primary school, where the Romans will announce the census, then will proceed to Bath Road and Wood Street, before culminating in Christ Church itself.

As well as a donkey (or two), Anna is looking for a newborn baby, aged three to six weeks on the day of the performance, to be the baby Jesus.

"For this production we're going for authenticity, and an immersive quality," Anna said.

"We'll need the donkey for only a short period of time - we can't represent the whole journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem - so it will be from the Bath Road Methodist Church to the top of Wood Street."

She said having a real baby to represent Jesus would also add to the authenticity of the production: "It would make the whole thing feel so much more real."

Two performances are planned, one at 12 noon and one at 4pm, and the baby would only make an appearance in the final scene inside Christ Church. A baby of either gender would be fine, and its mother would be close by during the play.

Anna would also like to cast some Roman soldiers too: "If there's a couple of burly guys who would like to be Roman soldiers, we'd love to hear from them," she said.

Rehearsals are already underway, with Danielle Fairclough and Ankur Sengupta as Mary and Joseph. Wood Street will be transformed into a bustling Bethlehem market, with actors in the shops and stalls in the street.

Volunteer stewards are needed, as well as acting extras for a crowd scene.

If you have a donkey, a baby or a penchant to be a Roman soldier in The Journey, contact Anna at info@oldtownjourney.co.uk. To book a free ticket for the performance, visit the website, oldtownjourney.co.uk.