Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1921-01-26
On With the Pageant
~ rredsric D. H..hin

4
1 who il in Washingfon now 70 produce
a pageant for the National Womsn's
party.
Miss Iaokaye ought to know the status
~ the pageant II anybody does, for she
has been eloscly Interested IN this form N
drama ever since the time when che had 20
| explain what the word pageant meant
before she could talk 70 any one about
/ That wasn't 80 many years ago not
| more than ten ~ twelve bat since then
! almost every town IN the country must
| have bad try At depicting local history,
from Indians down ~ prohsseIs, with
/ costumes, rhythmic dancing, aud every.
! thing Some If The exhibitions hsys sent
| the audience away thrilled for the first
| time IN their lives over The DRAMATIC past Of
/ their home town, and awakened 70 tho
| realization that they were taking part IN
| the latest chapter II it's history. Other
/ pagnants. hastily scrambled together, "
/ lacking competent direction. hsvn helped
/ 10 link the word pageant in many minds
/ with crude, unintefesfing effofts
! The pageant is most often an amateur
/ affair. Gays Mics Msekaye, but that does
/ not ncan that IL should bear the earrnarks
/ Of what We csil an arnateurish produc-
/ tion.
ANY group Of citizens in 4 community
i
ane who comes 20 me for part m one n
my productions is ever turned down.
/ But rot every applicant ran Ia ca-t
unfortunately ~ 2 knight, pe1ssnt, or
guone That is where some mistakes have
! been made Bee.use tho pageant is 70 be
| a community affair each part j. given ~ tho
/ person who asks for II
The pagesuf, as Hazel 1sekays spon-
sors if, is an expression Of great idea.
! This idev il usually put across by = got
/ les nf episodes There may be thou
SIND years interval between two epi-
sodes, or only short time may elspse
A now set Of characters msy he used
/ in each scsrs These things 10 not
matter At sll in psgeantry.
HOW pAarArvrs AR ukpK.
/ What is important il that The scenes
ARE related in sequence and theme That
/ il. there are no fash backs in a pageant, ss
| in the movies n time plays ans part IN
/ developing the idra. the scenes must
/ march down history in their proper order.
| And in every case The big thought srouad
| which The "a zeant is written mtst dom
| mate every part or II.
| These differences ~ page8ntry from
/ ordinary stage plays arc illustrated in
/ mission pageant which Miss Nsekaye
/ cities few wears ago This pageant told
a story of enlightenment through The
/ missionary movement There were four
scenes. e.ch ono practically = one-aet
/ plsy with spoken lines. dramatic sitrs-
I tion. and a we'll developed climax In
4 une episode an Indian bride Of the Punish
I was brought in 70 be thrown. protesting
I on the flaming funeral pyTe Of her htfs-
band Another scene shc we'd Hswsiiau
/ maiden who had been xelected 20 10
tossr over into the crater Of volcano 20
/ appeass a yvrathful goddess In the other
two scenes, one laid IN Africa. and one in
/ Alaska. similar tragedies were pendi ng
I and in al of them the white missionary
bringing enlightenment helped ~ avert
+ the catastrophe The four episodes. "a you
can see. had no connection except in
theme.
Another Of Miss Mscksys's psesauts
pesentsd ia Washington, depicted the
/ life Of Susan r anthony. showing scenes
which she advanced the csast Of womsn
outrage.
suFpRAeETTE paGss~r
Hazel Mackaye newest pageant, wh iCh
she 20 put on when the women hold
.heir convention here IN February. is
o be gwen IN connection with the dedI-
cation Of the statue % Susan Anthony.
i.ucretia Mott, add Elizabeth Stanton
The story Of this statue he's hem gwen
before IN the Hsskin Letter 10 II 10 be
placed in the rotunda 81 The Capitol, and
what Miss Nacksye calls dramatic
/ service with pageant features win be
held at the unveiIing The ideals Of the
/ three women are % be represented bv
/ symbolic figures. Banners VIII be brought
( and laid by the statue and tribute paid
i TO the memory Of the three suffrage pion-
I GERS. The memorial service viii be pr
s1mably the last scene in che suffrage
/ amendment drama.
This dramatic service as Miss Maeksye
/ describesit. IS the essence OF poetic pagan
/ try, quite different from the literal pres
entation % scenes from persons life
or q nations history. The poetic pageant
+ IN which symbolism plays so large part
( IS the kind Of production which has been
/ most misused. Sometimes too much
\ trust 3 placed in the imagination Of the
/ sudieoce. and q FIRE spirit invoking the
/ sun gets taken for lady chasing butter
I fiy Then again the symbolism is common
/ place. Love, 10y, pleasure, and hope are
/ al SPIT TO look about alike. and II the
! audience misses the introduction, Here
= comes Hope IL hasn't much chance OF
/ following the story.
I A standard for the really imaginative
/ ard dramatic pageant was once set by
I Percy Mackaye. brother OF Hazel Mack
| ave who has written some of the most
| spectacular and successful psgeants pro-
| duced u this country. Mr.. Mackays
/ thinks the pageant should be capable OF
combining the popular appeal OF al Isadora
Duncan-Damrosch concert, Sorols
exhibition, and Maude AdsIns-Bsrrie
play"
This s an odd combination Of sttrsc-
TORS, but If you aDalyre il you viii find
that Mr. Mackaye was trying 20 show what
psgeantry might be with an origins
pageant for bssis. and then careful
attention given 70 dancing, suitable mu-
sic, color effects. stage pictures, and acting
TIE GREAT ST. LOUIS PAGEANT
There have been a number OF page ants q
ven which combined this excellence in each
side Of production, and Miss Mackaye is
doubtless night when she says that psg-
.s44.- 4. -. = k~sH