Producers of the Pageant of the Masters spent the last three days looking for the people to help bring this year’s show, which promises to be the “Greatest of All Time,” to life.
To create the “tableaux vivantes” or living pictures, the pageant is known for, its curators rely on hundreds of volunteers to embody the artworks, sculptures and other unique pieces each year. Volunteers who came out this weekend were measured and photographed.
Their only “acting skill” requirement was holding a pose for 90 seconds. That’s the amount of time the artwork is shown using special lighting and techniques that make the piece appear three-dimensional to the Laguna Beach audiences night after night during the summer run. Cast members are chosen for pieces, most importantly, based on height and body dimensions.
This will be the 31st show Diane Challis Davy will produce for the Pageant of the Masters. She’s the one who came up with this year’s theme.
There’s been lots of talk in the media in recent years about the G.O.A.T. in this sport or that field.
“That got me thinking about the greatest artists and masterpieces we have had in the pageant over the years,” she said. “I also thought it would be fun to have a presentation of work by artists already familiar to our audience.”
So, the show will definitely include legendary works from Michelangelo, Diego Velázquez, Claude Monet, Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo and Norman Rockwell, she said.
What makes Challis Davy’s G.O.A.T. criterion, she said, is an artist who invents a new style or way of seeing things.
“The ability to draw is very important, but not necessarily if you are a Picasso,” she said. “I have my favorites, of course. One is John Singer Sargent, who was a master of portraiture.”
One of the pieces the actors will help bring to life this year is a favorite of Challis Davy’s, “Hoover Dam and the Navajo,” a Norman Rockwell painting.
To add a twist, Challis Davy said she wants to ensure the information about the artists is unique, so during the show, the narration will introduce details that not everyone knows.
As part of the unique treatment — Challis Davy always likes to throw in surprises — some of the artists will be portrayed by actors who will appear throughout the Irvine Bowl outdoor amphitheatre during the shows.
The actors will deliver quotes from the artists, thereby giving viewers a better understanding of the process and struggles of artists, Challis Davy said.
So Challis Davy had her staff on the lookout during the weekend’s casting call for people who might resemble Norman Rockwell, Diego Rivera, Diego Velázquez and Frida Kahlo, she said.
Aside from these roles, the show uses two casts of 150 people who rotate each week.
This year’s audition process also included a host of family-fun activities on the Festival of Arts grounds on Saturday and Sunday. There was music, face painting, art projects and more.
Challis Davy said she added the Family Fun Fest as a reminder that the pageant is a family show.
“We encourage families to volunteer because we have roles for all ages,” she said. “There is no other activity like it.”
There were also opportunities to secure unique stage props, artwork and costumes from previous pageant shows at the Bizarre Bazaar. The proceeds help support scholarships and arts programming at the Festival of Arts.
The pageant starts on July 9 and runs through Sept. 4.
If you missed the auditions and want to be part of the pageant cast or backstage volunteers, call 949-494-3663 or email casting@foapom.com.