Three thousand chairs line the outdoor amphitheater in front of the stage, but July 11 those chairs and the stage were filled as the Nauvoo and British Pageants opened the 2017 season.
More than 1,100 volunteers put on the Broadway quality shows about early Mormon history in the U.S. and England by presenting the British production, Truth Will Prevail, together with the Nauvoo production on alternating evenings.
The Nauvoo Pageant, through drama, dance and song, recounts the story of early Latter-day Saints church members who, in 1839, fled to Nauvoo to escape religious persecution. The British Pageant, Truth Will Prevail, tells the history of the Reformation in the British Isles and the story of the early Christian reformers that sacrificed much, with many giving their lives in defense of the truth. The British Pageant was performed in the U.S. for the first time in 2014 and will again be featured this year.
Both pageants include scripts based on actual journals and historic records from the 1800s, as well as traditional and original music. Cynthia Collier, who is making her directing debut with this years British Pageant, was one of the original writers of the pageants.
It was a writing team, a process. They each did a piece of research, shared it with the group and we would decide what parts needed to be told, Collier recalled. Each person researched a portion of the history and we came together to sort through what was needed for the story to be told, Collier said. You really had to put your ego aside and do what was best for the story.
As director, Collier deals with a rotating batch of actors each week. Through the month-long pageant run, five separate family casts of about 130-140 each volunteer for two weeks; the first week they rehearse and run the pageants Country Fair, and the second week they perform on stage.
Some families have worked and saved all year to make this trip and volunteer to be part of it. One family says they decided that their Christmas would be coming to Nauvoo this summer, Collier said.
While directing is a totally different experience from writing, Collier said she enjoys working with the actors and would be willing to direct again if called upon to do so.
Volunteers find the days and evenings of their two-week vacation full. They rehearse 8 a.m. to noon; take a two-hour lunch break; have staging/dance rehearsal 2 to 4 p.m.; break for dinner and rest 4-6 p.m.; and then return to the stage to rehearse and stage lighting 6-9 p.m.
We try to finish by 9 as much as possible because of the smaller children in the pageant, but sometimes that doesnt happen. Last night it was about 10:30, Collier said.
But children are not expected to keep up such a rigorous pace. Still more volunteers are charged with entertaining and caring for the children that need breaks or rest.
But we tell the parents, especially the mothers, if your child needs you, go that is where you need to be, Collier added.
Clothing
With 20 core professional actors and the hundreds of volunteer family actors, one can only imagine how many costumes must be prepared about 15,000 pieces of clothing is the most recent estimate.
But Elaine Huish doesnt have to imagine. She heads up the Pageant wardrobe team and is spending her fifth summer mending, sewing, and fitting costumes. She is quick to credit Jannette Lusk-Unterborn with the design of many of those costumes. Lusk-Unterborn continues to volunteer her talents on the sewing crew.
The Pageant Headquarters on the outskirts of Nauvoo has room after room lined with the womens sweeping skirts and colorful bonnets, and the mens garb from homespun to dress coats with tails spark the two productions with authenticity.
We have researched both the clothing worn in the British Isles and in America during in the mid-19th century to make these pageants as authentic as possible, says Huish of the costumes for both the Nauvoo and British Pageants.
Twelve to 16 volunteers, some from the area and others from other states, work 8-10 hours a day in a room in the headquarters sewing the costumes to depict the 1840s. The wardrobes are segregated according to which pageant they belong.
The British colors are a bit brighter, fashions were different, than for the Nauvoo pageant, Huish said.
Also, each actor has multiple costume changes. As the pageant progresses, the costumes become noticeably lighter in color to represent the spiritual enlightenment of the characters portrayed on the stage.
And remember, while the 20 core professional actors remain in place throughout the pageant runs, a new cast of volunteer actors arrives every week or so, which means costumes must be refitted for the new cast members.
Workers
While the stage runs over with singing actors in colorful costumes, there is another crew of workers that are not seen by the audience, yet is just as essential to the elaborate productions.
They make up the work crew of 20 young men, ages 17-23, who set up, run, maintain and strike the pageant stage and operate technical equipment. Last year, cast members and other volunteers traveled from Japan, China, Mexico, Canada, England and many of the U.S. Dozens more staff members work year-round, preparing for each years performance.
Many of the work crew are under the stage itself, waiting for the next cue from the stage manager that tells them what portion of the set to elevate or lower.
And, while actors often endure temperatures on stage under the lights well into the 90s, the work crew is down below, cut off from the outdoor breeze.
Further, while todays technology would allow some of the maneuvers to be done with the push of a button, Pageant coordinators decided to remain faithful to the 1840s. So, much of the lowering and rising of houses and other portions of the set are done by a group of strong volunteers working in sync with each other to perfectly time the moves.
Country Fair,
Bagpipe Band
The Country Fair is held prior to each 8:30 p.m. pageant performance and brings the 1840s to life as volunteers in period dress play games and demonstrate pastimes of the period such as round dancing.
Like the Pageants, admission to the Country Fair is free.
The bagpipe band then leads a colorful and energetic parade to the pageant stage for the beginning of the Pageant at 8:30 p.m.
Bagpipers in the Nauvoo Pageant band come from several areas around the U.S. The band involves both youth and adults who volunteer part of their summer to participate in this talented band. Many of the pipers participating in the 2017 Pageant have participated in numerous parades and competitions throughout the United States and some have also participated in international competitions. Dressed in traditional costume, the pipe band represents many Scottish clans or families.
Making a day of it
In addition to the evening Pageants and the Country Fair, Nauvoo is filled with more activities and historic tours, complete with re-enactors in period dress, to occupy visitors during the day this summer.
In fact, there are 48 historic sites in Nauvoo including the Brigham Young Home, Browning Home & Gunsmith Shop, the period Print Shop, Boot & Show Shop, Scovil Bakery, Lacy Mack Home, Joseph and Emma Smiths Mansion, the Joseph and Hyrum Smith Homestead and Memorial, and much more.
Free wagon rides and a series of historic vignettes are offered daily in July and August.
Pioneer Pastimes to engage younger visitors and educate them about the toys, games and pastimes of their ancestors are offered daily during the summer.
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Nauvoo, British Pageants underway - Hancock County Journal Pilot
