Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-12-04
Mrs. Marie Moore Forrest,
Prominent Puqeunteer Here
By BETTY MILES

Mrs. Marie Moore Forrest,
whose historical pageants made
history in themselves, died Sat-
urday in Whitehall Sanitarium
in Falls Church. Mrs. Forrest,
who was So, had been i'll for two
years.
She was one Of the founders
of the dramatic movement IN
Washington. and director Of
drama and pageantry for WASH
ington for almost rs years. She
also was an ardent exponent Of
women's rights and a founder
of the National Woman'S Party.
Mrs. Forests pageants were
spectaculars. They sometimes
included UP to 1000 players. If
she planned battle scene the
United States cavalry was
pressed into service. Her favorite
setting was the steps Of the
Capitol.
A large, dynamic woman, she
never needed a megaphone to
direct her productions. She
could sit at the bottom Of the
Capitol steps and be heard at
the top.
Was In Great Demand
People flocked to see her pro-
ductionS, which numbered in the
hundreds. When Federal and
District ofilcials wanted to COM
memorate an event. they called
on Mrs. Forrest, and she did not
disappoint them. Sometimes she
planned a celebration in mind
10 years in advance. She had
Ia genius for getting the Coop
Grafton of individuals and groups
Throughout the city, and a tai
ent for handling large masses
of people on stage.
Hers was the era when the
public loved pageants. BY the
time of her retirement in 1912
that era had passed. At the
height of her career in the years
after World War / she was ma
tionally known for her work,
and was called to other parts
of the country, including Ply
mouth. Mass, to stage COM
memorative pageants.
Mrs. Forrest presented the
pageant that opened the Sylvan
.Theater in 1917. She was chair
man of pageantry for the War
Camp Community Service here
in World War I, putting on
countless patriotic pageants and
plays for Servicemen. She wrote
many OF the pageantS herself.
She was in charge of pag-|
geantry for the Bi-Centennial
Celebration of the birthday of
George Washington in 1882 and
produced one of her most
memorable productions for the
occasion. 1t was presented on
the Monument Grounds with a
cast of 1000. Mrs. Forrest Sc
cured the services of the cavalry
to portray the Continental and
British Armies clashing in bat
tie, into whose midst George
Washington rode. Another pag-
cant was given in Constitution
Hall, with 722 in the cast.
At another time, she pre-
Sented a street parade that in
cluded floats from all over the
country.
On one occasion, events were
taken out of her hands. Charles
A. Lindbergh, just returned
from his Atlantic fight, visited
Washington on a Flag Day
when Mrs. Forrest was present.
ing a pageant on the west steps
of the Capitol. On the steps
was tremendous living flag
made up by children. When Mr..
Lindbergh appeared, the flag
dissolved as the youngsters ran
to get better look at their hero.
Another first for Mrs. Forrest
was the first community Fourth
of July celebration at the Capt.
tol in 1926, concentrating the
150th anniversary of Independ-
ence Day.
Mrs. Forrest assumed her post
as director of drama and pag-
cantry for the Community Cen
ter Department after World War
!, then under the Board of Edu-
cation. She retired when the
department became part of the
newly formed District Recrea-
ton Department in 1912.
She was one Of the founders,