Jesus and his disciples work a variety of jobs. James the Greater is a consultant. Judas is a financial planner. And Jesus, a former carpenter, is now a general contractor. But each evening in July and August, when cool ocean breezes blow over Laguna Beach, California, these diverse characters put aside their day jobs, strike familiar poses, hold them, and become living, breathing masterpieces.
Dusk descends and a few stars wink through the light-washed Southern California sky.
Million-dollar homes gaze down from cliffs above an outdoor amphitheater where another sellout crowd is applauding the most unusual art pageant in America. As the applause dies down, binoculars are lifted throughout the audience. Music swells, and all attention focuses stage center. Since 1933, this arty beach town has hosted a festival of living art. Each summer, from early July to Labor Day, audiences flock to the pageant in numbers a museum might envy.