Tickets for the much-anticipated 2021 Pageant of the Masters go on sale to the general public today, May 3rd. Returning to the beach-side community after postponing the 2020 production due to the coronavirus pandemic, audiences will once again be able to experience the art of living pictures. Tickets to this summer’s production Made in America: Trailblazing Artists and Their Stories start at $30 per person at www.PageantTickets.com or by calling 800-487-3378.
“This summer’s production is ‘from the heart.’ The enthusiasm is at an all-time high and our staff and volunteers are so happy and grateful to be able to perform again,” shared long-standing Pageant Director Diane Challis Davy. “Everyone involved is determined to do all we can to make sure our audiences experience thrills, amazing and inspirational stories, beautiful music and extraordinary living pictures under the stars.”
The 2021 Pageant of the Masters, Made in America: Trailblazing Artists and Their Stories, was planned for 2020, when the pandemic forced worldwide shutdowns of live performances and events. Prior to last year, the Pageant had only gone dark from 1942 to 1945, during World War II. Its history traces back to Laguna Beach’s early days as an art colony, starting in 1933 as a way to draw in tourists. Today, the iconic show has become a phenomenon and the crowning jewel of Laguna Beach.
Through the magic of living pictures, Pageant patrons will meet the artists who not only made this country their home, but let their creativity be inspired by the liberations upon which this nation was founded. Certain to be unlike any other Pageant production, the 2021 summer show will offer a collection of tributes to artists who made their mark in American Art. “We want to tell their (artists) stories in the form of vignettes. We will quote them ‘verbatim’ as much as possible,” adds Challis Davy.
Asked to reveal some of the artists whose stories and works will be included in this summer’s production, Pageant Director Diane Challis Davy shared several, many of them recognized as masters of American art: Winslow Homer, Mary Cassatt, Norman Rockwell, Daniel Chester French, Luis Jimenez and John Nieto.
She continued, “I’m especially pleased about two of the segments. One is a tribute to the inspiring story of African American sculptor Edmonia Lewis. The other is our re-creation of a photo by Dorothea Lange- accompanied by two songs written by Woody Guthrie. The photo illustrates the heartache of the Great Depression and our tableau is followed by the re-creation of a brightly colored WPA mural that celebrates the resiliency of the American ‘can-do’ spirit.”
A prologue for the opening sequence, written by scriptwriter Dan Duling, will acknowledge and “set the mood” of the show in the wake of the COVID disruption. The upcoming production will also present some of the photos of the cast volunteers taken by Matthew Rolston in 2017. Audiences will likely feel a since of nostalgia as the night closes with the Pageant’s recreation of “The Last Supper” by Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci, which has been the Pageant’s traditional closing tableau since 1936.
Challis Davy shared one final tease: “Prepare yourselves for an inspirational adventure, a plotline from start to finish, and a moving look at American History through a collection of tributes to artists who made their mark in American Art.”
Pageant tickets are a perfect gift idea for Mother’s Day, graduation, celebrations and special occasions, the 2021 Pageant of the Masters, Made in America: Trailblazing Artists and Their Stories, runs July 7 – September 3, 2021. Tickets start at $30 per person and go on sale today, May 3, 2021. A Pageant ticket is also a season pass to the 2021 Festival of Arts Fine Art Show, which will take place July 5 – September 3, 2021. For more information, ticket policies, and to purchase tickets, visit www.PageantTickets.com or by calling 800-487-3378.