Pageant of the Masters Runs Each Summer in Laguna Beach
The historic Pageant of the Masters, held each summer in Laguna Beach is based on the centuries old art form known as Tableaux Vivants or Living Pictures. While the art style was popular for several centuries, today the pageant is one of the few remaining productions of this genre.
The theme of the 2011 Pageant was "Only Make Believe," a theatrical foray into the world of dreams and imagination, including works inspired by science fiction and fantasy.
Features of the Pageant included live depictions of: The Dream by Henri Rousseau, Meeting of Oberon & Titania by Arthur Rackham, The Fairy Wood by Henry Rheam, Arabian Nights by Virginia Sterrett and Sacrament of the Last Supper by Salvador Dali.
The 2012 Pageant of the Masters presentation will be called "The Genius: and will showcase the fascinating and unpredictable relationship between art and technology. Classic art masterpieces will illustrate how breakthroughs in different fields have altered the path of art history as well as the way we see the world. Art images presented will include Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, other Italian Renaissance artworks and the personal imaginings of modern masters.
Tableau Vivant
A Tableau Vivant is a grouping of carefully costumed and made-up models, often set against an intricate stage setting, complete with dramatic theatrical lighting. The models do not speak or move for the duration of the live display - often for several minutes.
Tableaux Vivants began in the Middle Ages and were featured in churches, royal weddings and coronations. The art form was especially popular in the 19th century with models often posing in the buff. One fictional nude model was Lily Bart in Edith Wharton's turn-of-the-20th century novel "The House of Mirth."
First Living Pictures
The Pageant of the Masters was launched in 1933 when Laguna artist/vaudevillian Lolita Perine dressed local residents in costumes and seated them behind a frame. Two years later, Roy Ropp, a construction worker and amateur artist, produced a more formal Tableau Vivant show, naming it The Spirit of the Masters. The following year, the production was renamed Pageant of the Masters.
In 1941, the Irvine Company gave Laguna six acres, nestled within a majestic canyon, for an art venue. Part of that land was designated for the Pageant. That is how the Irvine Bowl, with 2,600 seats and an orchestra pit, became its permanent home. Many Hollywood stars, Bette Davis among, them, have posed in the shows over the years.
Over the years, the pageant grew in length and intricacy, displaying a famous painting or piece of sculpture for each scene. Dan Duling, scriptwriter for the event explains that for years, "the only real connectivity in every pageant show was the diversity of art from around the world and throughout history. Each piece had its own story, its own approach, but once the lights went down, you really had no idea where you might be going next."
When Laguna native Diane Challis Davy became director/producer of the Pageant of the Masters in 1996, she introduced a theme to each summer's production, added seamless transitions and occasional live performers.
500 Volunteers
The Pageant of the Masters is a world away from the typical summer theatrical event, involving 500 volunteers and 6,000 volunteer hours, a testament to its dramatic drawing power.
Backstage, models sit nearly motionless for long periods as volunteer artists apply thick overly theatrical face and body make-up. Awareness of the angle of the model's face and body in the completed Living Picture is an essential factor of make-up application. When a model faces sideways, the face is often painted in two tones to create the illusion of shadows. Lips, eyebrows, cheekbones are highlighted so dramatically and thickly that models take on the appearance of mannequins.
Wigs and hats are molded and rigidly constructed to maintain their shape for two months of showings. Dresses, suits and other attire are hand-painted with exaggerated designs. The scenery is composed of enormous hand-painted backgrounds and a variety of props. The larger than life make-up, costumes and sets help produce the awe inspiring completed Living Picture.
Moments before each Living Picture is shown, models seat themselves in the stage set: workers adjust the props, sometimes adding accessories to clothing and shoes for authenticity; and models are often strapped into their places. The framed set revolves onto the stage as lights go up and themed music plays, revealing a large proscenium size artwork, many times bigger than the original painting or sculpture, and clearly visible from the last row in the Irvine Bowl - and from High Drive - up the road in Laguna Beach.
Authentically Replicated
Each individual Tableau Vivant is breathtaking. The pictures, sculptures, posters, gold, silver and porcelain figurines are vibrant, human size versions of the original works. They are so authentically replicated that I often forget I am looking at real people ensconced within the frames.
One evening, I met a model who was so heavily made-up, she had difficulty talking, and attired in a costume that made it difficult for her to move. I asked why she volunteers for the Pageant of the Masters each summer. "I feel like a work of art while I'm on stage," she replied.
I recalled that remark this summer, while watching a Living Picture. "Yes," I thought, "The models truly do become works of art."
3 Generations
Sue Monahan Larkin wrote about the Pageant of the Masters: "My family's involvement dates back to the 1930's when my grandmother, Helen "Monnie" Monahan, volunteered...something she continued to do 'til the early-mid 1950's.
"During the late 1940s-mid 50s there were 3 generations of Monahans working at the Pageant...my grandmother, my aunt, Betty Rehbeck, (both in wardrobe and wigs), my parents, Dave and Dodie Monahan (in various positions including directing) and myself and my cousins (Topper and Rory Rehbeck) as exceptionally still models (for children)!
"When my grandmother died a tree was planted on the Festival grounds in her honor. Summers spent at the Pageant were and still are wonderfully glorious memories."
