The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-11-01
MOON HELPS HER
WRITE PAGEANTS
Miss MacKaye Uses Its Charm
with knowledge of Suf-
fragist's Life.
ON STAGE WITH BROTHER
Paseantry Alone Can Express Big
Ideas and 1t Hasn't Been Com
mercialized, She Thinks.

II the moon hadn't shed its cold, clear
! rays over the town of Shirley. Mass,
| gently, and IL It had not followed Its
| usual custom of lighting up the Treasury
| steps early In 1918, there Is no telling
whether two of the biggest suffrage
/ events in Washington would have been
| possible.
! One event is over: the suffrage pageant
! at the Treasury on March 8, 1913 The
| other is due In a few weeks: the Susan
B. Anthony pageant to be given by the
! Congressional Union for Woman SUN
rage at Convention Hall on December Il.
| Miss Hazel MacKaye is author OF both
! pageants. She worked In collaboration
with the moon, she said yesterday. and
wouldn't know what TO do without its
help. With its help. she ranks as one
| of the leading pageantrists, or pageant
/ resses-anyway, one OF the leading au-
! thors Of pageants-in the United States.
| Miss MacKaye wrote the 1913 pageant
| in Washington. During the time she
was writing 1t. she made nightly visits
to the steps of the Treasury. and saw
visions of the pageant as II was pre-
scented. This summer Miss Mackaye
went into the silence, and incidentally
| into the garden, at her home at Shirley.
| Mass. and, looking up at the moon, saw
reflected there the Susan b. Anthony
pageant.
| But the moon alone cannot be cred
| tied with furnishing inspiration, Miss
MacKaye said yesterday at suffrage
headquarters. She read three volumes
| on the life Of Susan B. Anthony and four
| volumes on woman suffrage history.
| y got so that / felt ] knew Miss
Anthony" said Miss MacKaye after she
| had confessed both the moonlight in
spiration and the library work. Il alb
| sorbed enough for four pageants. ana
my hardest task was to select the best
material from the mass that ] had
Il have written pageants during the
! last six years, when ! left the stage. Il
| took up q special course In dramatics
at Radcliffe, and for a while after that
| ! was graduate coach in dramatics there
I directed the pageant with which
vassar celebrated its ffteth anniver-
sary''-Miss MacKays had been asked
! to tell the story Of her life. and she
didn't tell II with so many ITS" either
was author and director Of the page
ant Of the Mems League for Woman
Suffrage in New York In the spring OF
1914 elaborated with Mrs. Christian
Hemmick when she produced her peace
pageant here last spring. and presented
Darkness and Light the mission page
ant. in Boston, Cincinnati. Baltimore and
Chicago There are q lot Of others. but
l haven't list with me.
'T like writing pageants. ] have seen
the stage-I played with my brother,
Percy MacKaye, in some of his produc-
tions-and know its limitations
yet IL has no limitations 1t is the only
vehicle with which to express big ideas
like suffrage and think 1t can be made |
to express them excellenty.
No, / think pageantry won't be COM
mercialized. thank heaven. The Broad |
way managers are too busy with their
little plays to worry about IT. and there |
is too much financial risk to 1t to attract
them. It is one OF the great joys OF
pageantry to know II hasn't been COM |
mercialized-
As vet, few pageants can be present |
ed without loss. That isn't anything to |
be particularly thankful for, but the |
great satisfaction is to know that when |
one does pay the money u used In
good cause"
There are to be 800 persons in the cast
of the pageant and Miss Mackaye has
sole charge OF arrangements as author. |
manager and producer. She is setting |
about the task OF selecting actors and
actresses now. All members Of the !
company will be Washingtonians, and
Miss MacKaye has invited Washing |
tonians especially men, to volunteer. |
There is just one strict requirement for
all applicants: they must be suffragtsts.
Miss MacKaye doesn't carry any tenn
permanent around with her. She lie slim
and dark and modish. and she always
knows Just what to talk about. Finally, |
she insisted that the names of the fol-
lowing of her assistants be carried along |
with her interview:
Mrs. Randolph Keith Forrest, assist
ant dIerctor; Mrs. Caro- Moore, chair
man Of the committee on costumes; Mrs.
w. T Burch, chairman of the committee
on participants, and Mrs. George Odell.
chairman Of the committee on proper