Behind the Curtain: Meet the Masterful Creators of the Pageant of the Masters

The Pageant of the Masters is brought to life by a team of visionary artists, skilled craftsmen, expert technicians, and talented individuals dedicated to their craft. This summer’s production, “Art Colony: In the Company of Artists,” showcases their artistic brilliance and collective spirit.

“It starts with the imagination of Diane Challis Davy, pageant director, and her choice of theme, storyline and artwork,” 38-year pageant veteran and technical director Richard “Butch” Hill said. “Then, the seasoned, expert staff of artists and craftsmen collaborate closely to create the living art.”

Hill said that while the creation starts as free form, everyone works together from day one. As technical director, Hill orchestrates grading the show’s artwork to human scale, designing and drafting scenery plans and lighting plots, and implementing equipment upgrades and stage maintenance. He also supervises the tech department’s production staff, hires and trains a seasonal crew of about 20 people and manages the stage during the nightly performances.

Working closely with Hill, David Talbot implements the technical director’s designs, hand-building each set with masterful carpentry skills. With 15 years of experience with the pageant, Talbot has played an instrumental role as the production foreman for the last five years, overseeing the meticulous execution of the Pageant of the Masters. He and his team make sure the production departments collaborate efficiently to create a smooth transition between cast members and set while keeping the cast safe and comfortable.

“It becomes a well-oiled machine that can only be accomplished with the well-planned and collaborating efforts of all of the incredible people in production,” Talbot said. “We have some new young employees in production, including staff scenic carpenter Brian Vidales. This is important because they are being trained to carry the torch of tradition. We are all just stewards of this thing that was here long before us and will be here long after us. I am honored to be a part of this unique and historical production, if only for a moment.”

Now in his third season behind the scenes, pageant scenic artist W. Brad Elsberry is one of the few scenic artists who hand-paint the masterpieces to the pageant’s full-scale versions. Elsberry, also a long-time exhibitor at the Festival of Arts from 2007 to 2019, has a fine art background, so he says he’s used to a lot of detail work. He’s also been a stage and mural painter in the past, so “painting big” is second nature to him.

“Each large set can take, on average, between two and three weeks to paint,” Elsberry said. “The studio light is great here – all-natural. I also jump in to paint costumes for the backgrounds I complete whenever I’m needed. And I love to do prop work – that’s probably my favorite.”

Previously a volunteer cast member and now in her third year as the pageant’s makeup director, Michelle Pohl spends January through June creating a makeup design for each volunteer cast member in the show by painting coordinated designs onto styrofoam heads. Each design has a set of written instructions denoting implements, colors, placement and application sequence for the volunteer makeup artists to reference.

“During the build season, I also assemble my summer team of makeup volunteers and hold multiple training workshops to get any new volunteers up and running. There is a lot of organization, both on the creative end and the volunteer end, that goes into making everything run smoothly,” Pohl said. “Every piece in the show presents its own unique set of challenges, from costume design, to set design and construction, to set painting, to makeup, and lighting. Each of the aforementioned brings their own setup talents to the table and do the work, collaborating where necessary.”

Like the sets and backdrops, the pageant’s costumes begin as blank canvases. Contrary to usual theater costumes, a button or accessory isn’t sewn onto the costume. Instead, all of the details of the costume are painted on bare muslin to create the illusion of a three-dimensional outfit. Reagan Foy, a 15-year employee and the current pageant costume director, oversees the design and tailoring of all of the pageant’s costumes. Kim Knowlton, a skilled artist with a keen eye for detail, is entrusted with bringing the Pageant of the Masters costumes to life through her painting skills.

“We have stitchers who stitch all the material together for each individual cast member based on their measurements, and then each costume goes to the paint shop to create that illusion,” Foy said. “This year, we have upwards of 110 still costumes to create, in addition to costuming the live actors who move around in the audience or in front of the paintings. Interacting with all the volunteers is so fun, and seeing all of our work come together each year is rewarding.”

This summer’s Pageant of the Masters production celebrates artists who have embraced the communities where they reside and work, serving as a source of inspiration for one another. The dedicated team behind the pageant embodies an art colony’s spirit.