Pueblo chieftain., 1921-01-26
BY Frederic ]. Haskin


Washington. d. c.. Jan. 2s.-That the
pageant is being recognized as
permanent institution in community
| activities is the view held by Hazel
Mackaye who is in Washington now to
produce a pageant Cor the National
Woman's Party.
| Miss Mackaye ought to know the
status of the pageant II anybody does.
| for she has been closely interested in
| this form of drama ever since the
| time when she had to explain what
| the word pageant meant before she
| could talk to any one about it. That
\ wasn't so many years ago-not more
than ten or twelve-but since then al
most every town in the country must
have had a try at depicting local his
tory, from Indians down to profiteers.
| with costumes. rhythmic dancing, and
everything. Some OF the eNhioitionS
have sent the audience away thrilled
| for the first time in their lives over
the dramatic past of their home town.
and awakened to the realization that
| they were taking part in the last
chapter of its history. Other pageants,
hastily scrambled together, or lack
| ing competent direction, have helped
to link tho word pageant in many
minds with crude, unintercsting cf-
| forts.
THE pageant is most often an
amateur affair" says Miss MackAye.
/ bear the earmarks OF what we call
an amateurish production.
ANY group of citizens in a commun-
lity can be used somewhere in a
pageant. No one who comes to me Tor
\ a part in one of my productions is ever
] turned down. But not every applicant
can be cast Unfortunately as
, knight, peasant, or Gnome. That Is
| where some mistakes have been made,
Because the pageant is TO be COM
munity affair each part Is given to tho
person who asks for it"
] The pageant Hazel Mackayc
sponsors ii, is an expression OF great
idea. This idea is usually put acroes
by n series of episodes, There may be
"a thousand years interval between two
episodes. or only short time may
elapso. A new set OF characters may be
used in each scene. These things do
not matter at all in pageantry.
How Paseants Arc Made
| What is important Is that the scenes
are related in sequence and theme.
That is, there are no tiash-h backs in
pageant. as in tho movies. II time
plays any part in developing tho idea
| the scenes must march down history
| in their proper order And in every
case the big thought around which
| the pageant is written must dominate
| every part of it.
These differences of paEeantry from
ordinary stage plays arc illustrated In
| a mission pageant which Miss
| Mackaye helped TO write and produce
In four eastern cities a few years ago.
| This pageant told a story OF enlight-
! eminent thru the missionary move
! mcnt. There We're four scenes. each one
practically one-act play with spoken
| lines, a dramatic situation. and a well
developed climax. In ono episode an
Indian bride OF the Punjab was
brought in TO be thrown, protesting,
on tho flaming funeral pyre OF her
| husband. Another scene showed n
Hawaiian maiden who had been selcct-
ed to be tossed over into the crater OF
a volcano to appcasc a wrathful god
| dess- In the other two scenes, one laid
| in Africa, and one in Alaska, similar
| tragedies were pending. and in all OF
| them the white missionary bringing
| enlightment. helped to avert the
| catastrophe. The four episodes as you
| can see, had no connection except in
| theme.
Another of Miss Mackaycs paEeants.
presented in Washington. depicted the
| life OF Susan Il. Anthony. showing
scenes in which she advanced the cause
of woman suffrage.
A sunrsset,e Pageant
Hazel Mackaye's newest pageant.
which she is to put on when the women
hold their convention here In Fchru-
ary. is to be given in connection with
the dedication of the statue to sus-an
Anthony, Lucrctia Mott and Elizabeth
Stanton. The story OF this statue has
been given before in the Haskin letter.
1t IL to be placed in the rotunda OF the
capitol. and what Miss Mackayo calls
a dramatic service with pageant
features" win be held at tho unveilins.
The ideals Of the three women are 10
| be represented by symbolic figures.
Banners will be brought and laid by
the statue and tribute paid TO the
memory OF the three suffrage pioneers.
| The memorial service will be presum-
ably the last scene in the suffrage
amendment drama.
This dramatic service. as Miss
Mackaye describes IL. is the essence of
| poetic pagcantry. quite different from
the literal presentation of scenes from
\ a persons life or "A nations history.