Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-06-15
The Day Of The Pageant.
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

ltheir activities to killing Caesars and
lMacbeths; and throughout the country
the history of the Indians and first
American settlers has for the time be-
ling been forgotten in the enthusiasm
OF the early italian and Anglo-Saxon
drama In almost every large educa-
ltional center the windows of the local
photographers are at present attract
ing great crowds Of young Americans
who proudly gaze upon themselves as
the pageant portrayers of Shakespeare. |
1t Is not often that two such neces-
lsary excuses as preparedness and the
tercentenary of the bard demand the /
production of pageants. and the Amer
lean public. in whom the dramatic in
stinct is well developed, is taking ad-
vantage of them This is the day of
the historical pageant if there ever was
one When the mere sight of the
American nag on motion picture
screen can bring the audience to its
feet in patriotic enthusiasm, 1t is nat
uraI that people would rather see the
Landing of the Pilgrims and Penn's
Treaty with the Indians depicted by
their sons and daughters than the lat
est Broadway problem comedy.
The modern pageant. which has been
called the hybrid product of the pro-
| cession and
Types Of Pageants the play. was.
Ancient and Modern. form non.
founda ton of all drama. The Greeks
land Romans chose the backgrounds for
their open-air performances, or pa
lgeants. with careful regard for the
Ipicturesqueness of the scenery and none
whatever for the convenience of the
audience. One time the site selected
faced wide river 1t is not recorded
whether the audience sat in boats or
whether, in fact. it was witnessed at
all, but it shows that the Romans at
least did not believe in sacrificing art
In difference to the audience. 4
Throughout the middle ages the
pageant was a popular form of enter
tainment in England. witnessed by all
the royal personages, and was eclipsed
alter drama. which made it's appear
ance in the time of Shakespeare. With
In the past ten years pageants have
again become the rage in England, very
NEARLY turning the tables on the the
alter. In this country the modern pa
geant had it's beginning as early as
1883 in Marietta. Ohio, where a his
torical series of episodes was given to
commemorate the one hundredth ami
lversary of the town. The founding of
Marietta, the first pioneer settlements
and the treaties of peace with the In
dams were all depicted by the grand
children and grea-grandchildren Of
the pioneers, many of whom wore the
actual clothing and ornaments of their
Icious heirlooms.
The Marietta production was consid.
ered so important that represent atives
from several states attended and car
|
tlme on. the pageant has become an
| established institution in America, con-
sisting of three forms: The parade
pageant. made up of floats. companies
| OF costumed marchers and horsemen:
outdoor performances. given on select
ed sites. usually pertaining to history
outdoor entertainments in which =
series Of related scenes are presented
to depict a specific theme, such as |
/ peoples night for liberty. the progress |
of science or the growth of education.
and so forth.
while the province of the pageant is |
to entertain. it's purpose is to educate. |
BY no other means |
Purpose Is except perhaps the
"a rdr.4. motion picture. may
" EDUCATE. history be so indeli-
bly, impressed upon the mind. and here |
the pageant is superior to the motion
picture in that it reproduces color. |
Each act is planned with a close OBJ
servance to color and detail, since 1t |
has been proved by bitter experience
that the audience is sometimes only
too well educated on such features.
| The choice of neatly. shaved side |
whiskers for the role of an Apache in
| one pageant created a great deal of I'M
| timely amusement in the audience dur
| ing one exceptionally pathetic scene, |
and the use OF German emblem in a
| Spanish scene. another time nearly
| caused riot among some Spanish stu
dents witnessing the production.
| In order that absolute accuracy may
be insured the participants are re-
quired to do quantities of research
work in looking ,kI up the customs and
| of which is quite as educative to the
actor as to his audience. So great has
been the rise of the pageant in the last
been called into being-that of the
pageant director. When community
decides to give an elaborate pageant
these days, 1t turns the authors manu-
script over to paid director who
stages the production as carefully as
does the average manager on legiti-
mate circuit. In view of the eccen-
tricities of amateur talent, the di-
rectors job is not always enviabIe. A
professional actress watching di-
TeCtor pAtLllHS Win CHoTuS Oh local
debutantes for over an hour. turned
to one Of the performers and exclaimed.
"Oh. the rnartyrdom of directing anna
teursw Yes" agreed the young per-
former. you see. he can't swear at US
the way they do at you professionals"
Tho ideal site for the outdoor stage is
at the foot Of hillside, which forms
attractive back |
Foot of Hillside ground and a sound !
ing board by which
INC xQcdl DUG. the vojces are thrown