I was a shepherd in a 5th grade Nativity play in public (i.e., state) school in Orangeburg, S.C. I suspect this was one of the last in a U.S. public school, as the U.S. Supreme Court was already frowning on such events. I think I remember that the narration and dialogue of the play was taken verbatim (or nearly so) from the second chapters of Matthew and Luke. It was similar to plays that I later participated in in the United Methodist Church.