Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-07-13

| at Bury ST. Edmunds 2.OV0 take part
] interviewed each performer. and al.
lotted the 200 speaking parts. This
work alone occupied several months
1t Is essential In n pagcant-play that
each performer should bu thoroughly
well suited for his or her part so far
as personal appearance goes. 1t does
not matter SO much about their abil-
tiles as actors and actresses. The great
| thing was to set people who looked
| their parts.
Having allotted the parts the next
thing is TO start rehearsals. Rehears-
Ing a pageant-play can only describe
as q gigantic undertaking. IL Is, OF
course, performed In the open air over
a considerable extent OF ground-~-con-
siderable, that IS compared to an or
binary stage.
USES 4 MEGAPHoNE
During rehearsal stand on the
roof of building In the pageant
ground, and shout out my directions
to the 1000 performers, use meg
aphonc ms otherwise my voice would
not he heard by all, and ] have. of
course, among the performers the as
sistence OF several able lieuterants.
who really help me IN getting the
pageant into proper working order.
"A pageant Is n costly undertaking,
and there is q growing desire to pro-
ducc them on q moro elaborate and
EXPENSIVE scale than | think liz wise
or necessary. Seven thousand pounds
will he spent in producing the Bury
st. Edmunds pageant, which VIII take
six days TO play. and 1t win be on diff
ferent lines from any other pageant
yet produced The book of the play
took me II months to complete.
GREAT SCHEME.
According to my scheme" con-
tinued Mr. Parker. "a scheme l have
hitherto carried out and shall per-
slst IN during the three more years !
propose to continue this work--cvery
costume and every property. every
single thins IN short which Is
used in the pageant, is AS far as Is
humanity possible designed and made
by the townsfolk themselves, In my
opinion II Is not the actual pageant
week. however successful, which IL the
chief feature OF this movement but
rather the previous year or 3 months
of preparation i claim for my pa
geants that they have beer tho means
of discovering an immense amount of
buried talent In the towns through
which | have passed and of utilizing
that talent in remarkable manner,
AT Bury st. Edmunds vt the pres
ent moment considerably over 500
ladies' are at work completing the
100 costumes which will be used In
the forthcoming pageant. Twenty OF
80 young artists were at work many
months searching authorities for the
correct design of the dresses and max
ing working drawings OF them"
The making of the necessary cos
tunes for American pageants would be
a much simpler and less costly under
taking than making them for English
pageants because the folk who have
mn las Ann
TO putting on style At the same time
their costumes were by no means
lacking in picturesqueness,
BIG PROFITS.
Mr. Parker's description should in
splre some American TO follow in his
footsteps and start pageants in AIneri-
ca, The question Of making money
out of them should not be the primary
consideration but ii Is worth noting
that they pay. The Warwick Pageant
last year, which cost $4,000 to got up,
yielded profit of $4,000.
1t Is estimated that the " pageants
which make up this years program
will cost St250.000. The Bury ST, Ed
munds pageant begins ity six days
career shortly. The ancient town lis
80 chock full OF history that 1t could
provide far more episodes than the
seven treated by Mr.. Parker. They
villa Faustinl and the revolt Of Boad-
icea. They continue through the story
OF the martyrdom Of King Edmund,
the tale of the great monastery and
the negligent secular priests In whose
keeping the body of the sainted mon
arch was entrusted. Here 1t Is shown
how Canute comes to Bury, disposses-
SEES the secular priests, introduces the
Benedictine monks. and POUNDS the
monastery, with Uvius as first abbot.
Later is interviewer the story of the
famous Abbot Samson dealt with by
Carlyle in ''Past and Present" After
the meeting of the barons at Bury.
where they swear to force King John
to ratify the charter of Henry I.
comes the murder of Humphrey. Duke
of Gloucester. The last episode. en-
titled "The Dawn of a New Age"
brings the pageant UP to 1850. 1t
shows Mary Tudor present at St. Mat
tcw's Fair. Later II deals with the
dissolution. the dispersal OF the monks,
and the sale of the abbey 70"
also with the foundation of the first
of King Edward VI 80 grammar
schools.
IN COURSE OF PREPARATION.
In the beginning of August Liver
pool will celebrate the seven hun
dredth anniversary of its foundation
with a pageant. The ancient town of
ST. Adams, which suffers from an em-
harrassment of riches in the matter
of historic associations. Is also making
preparations to present the Dick OF
them in pageant form The begin
ming of August will witness pageant
at Carisbrooke Castle. Isle of Wight
where Charles was imprisoned. Sew
oral other minor pageants are In
course of preparation.
The oxford pageant which ran
from June 81 to July 3, achieved
brilliant success and attracted thou
sands OF American visitors to The old
university town. That of ROmseY Abb
hey which proceeded it was scarcely
less notable triumph, The grey alb
hey Itself. the milenary of whose
foundation was thus COMMUNICATED,
is admittedly the most perfect example
of Norman conventical building in
the kingdom. 1t is-true to Its type
n sturdy bulldog of a building.
Doubtless that Is why II has lasted