Great Falls tribune., 1921-01-27

ON WITH THE PAGEANT.

Washington, Jan. c3.-That the
pageant is being recognized as per
manent institution in community actlvl'
ties is the view held by Hazel Mackaye
who is in Washington now to produce
a pagenant for the National Woman,
party.
Miss Mackaye ought to know the
status of the pageant if anybody does
for she has been closely interested M
this form of drama ever since the time
when she had to explain what the word
pageant meant before she could talk
to anyone about it. That wasn't SO
many years ago-not more than lO or
1o-but since then almost every town
in the country must have had a try at
depicting local history, from Indians
down to profiteers, with costumes,
rhythmic dancing, and everything. Some
of the exhibitions have sent the audi
ence 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 latest chapter of its history.
Other pageants, hastily scrambled to-
gether, or lacking competent direction,
have helped to link the word pageant
in many minds with crude, unintcrest-
ing efforts.
1.-THE pageant is most often an ANA
teur affair." says Miss Mackaye, but
that does not mean that it should bear
the earmarks Of what we call an ANA
teurish production.
"Any group of citizens in COM
munity can be used somewhere in a
pageant. No one who comes to me for
a part in one of my productions is ever
turned down. But not every applicant
can be cast unfortunately as a knight,
peasant, or gnome. That is where
some mistakes have been made. Be
cause the pageant is to be community
affair each part is given to the person
who asks for it"
The pageant, as Hazel A1acaye spon-
sors it, is an expression of a great
idea. This idea IS usually put across
by a series Of episodes. There may
be thousand years interval between
two episodes, or only short time may
elapse. \ new set Of characters may
be used in each scene. These things
do not matter at all in pageantry.
How Pageants Are Made
What is important is that the scenes
are related IN sequence and theme
That is. there are no flash-backs in a
pageant, as in the movies. If time
plays any part in developing the 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 pageantry from
ordinary stage plays are Illustrated in
a mission pageant which Miss Maeksye
helped to write and produce in four
eastern cities a few years ago. This
pageant told q story of enlightenment
through the missionary movement
There were four scenes. each one prac-
tically one-act play with spoken lines.
a dramatic situation. and well devel-
oped climax. In one episode an Indian
bride of the Punjab was brought in 70
be thrown, protesting, on the flaming
funeral pyre of her husband An
other scene showed Hawaiian maiden
who had been selected to be tossed
over into the crater of volcano TO
appease a wrathful goddess 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 enlghten-
ment. helped to avert the catastrophe
The four episodes. as you can see. had
no connection except in theme.
Another of Miss Mackaye's pageants.
presented in Washington. depicted the
;fe Of Susan B. Anthony. showing
scenes in which che advanced the cause
# woman suffrage.
A Suffragette Pageant
Hazel Mackaye's newest pageant.
which she is to put on when the women
lold their convention here in February
$ to be given in connection with the