By Loreen Berlin, Special to the Independent
More than 1,200 people turned out to audition in January for this summer’s Pageant of the Masters, a show that would not proceed without the dedication of volunteers.
Even as the Pageant production crew worked to create larger than life-sized pictures for the stage of the summer-long show, others evaluated pictures and measurements of each volunteer to determine who best resembles the subjects needed for the scores of planned scenes.
The show that went into rehearsals in February officially opens to the public Wednesday, July 8. Behind the stage, a myriad of volunteers toil in wardrobe, make up, and headdress departments to pull off the show. Even more coordinate the cast, provide refreshments and students earn credit toward community service requirements by taking up other tasks.
Our story begins there, behind the scenes.
Judy Flanders, of Laguna Beach, has been a volunteer for 23 years in make-up and as a person who measures potential vignette cast members. Bob Perkowski, also of Laguna, is in his eighth year of volunteering and helps with measurements as well.
“We met here in the summer of 2010 and now we’re getting married,” said Flanders, with a happy smile during the January casting call. The couple wed in May and traveled to Tahiti for their honeymoon.
They made sure to return in time for the opening of this year’s production as they feel a special tie to this year’s theme, “The Pursuit of Happiness.”
“We both love the Pageant; it’s a big part of our lives each summer,” said Flanders, adding that they have met many friends during their time volunteering.
“No matter what kind of a day Bob and I have at his financial industry and in my wine business, when we get back stage, we can’t help but be happy; the spirit here is very unique and very special,” she said. “I always say, ‘They’d have to kill me to get rid of me,’ because I love volunteering at the Pageant.”
The couple are now known as Bob and Judy Flanders, as Bob preferred Flanders and chose that as his new name.
Volunteers have ranged in age from 4 to 80, said Higuchi. And people of all sizes and ages are needed as cast members in the tableaux vivants (living pictures) vary widely, though no theater experience is necessary. The only requirement is the ability to stand still and have fun, she said.
“More than 500 volunteers, both onstage and behind-the-scenes, are needed to produce the show,” said Pageant Director Diane Challis Davy.
She is unfazed by the daunting logistics of two alternating casts of hundreds of volunteers, an orchestra, a narrator and a crew of backstage artists and technicians, which makes the Pageant of the Masters every bit as complex as a big-budget movie shoot. The biggest difference is that a movie director only has to capture the shot right once.
“What are movies but a series of still pictures,” Challis-Davy said. “The Pageant is a series of still (but living) pictures.”
“In a way, these tableaux vivants were the original ‘freeze frames’,” said longtime Pageant scriptwriter Dan Duling. “The Pageant’s combination of art and theater alters the way we look at art and looking at masterpieces through the viewfinder of motion pictures provides a fascinating view.”
For Bob and Judy Flanders, playing a small role in creating that production is now a proud part of their own story line.
For Pageant information, visit www.PageantTickets.com.
