The “ Sistine Madonna ” re-creation in 1933 , then called Spirit of the Masters Pageant
1933 : Then called Spirit of the Masters Pageant , the first living pictures show took place in 1933 as a way to attract visitors to the second annual Festival of Arts , which charged a 10-cent admission fee . The Pageant kicked off with a parade of costumed characters —“ Whistler ’ s Mother ,” “ The Blue Boy ,” “ Mona Lisa ,” “ Sistine Madonna ” and Atlas — filing their way down Coast Highway from the Laguna Beach Art Association ’ s art gallery ( the predecessor to Laguna Art Museum ) to El Paseo Street , where the festival tent was located near Hotel Laguna .
At 6:30 p . m . each night , from Aug . 28 to Sept . 4 , 1933 , the pageant was presented ( without painted backdrops or lighting ) inside a rolling wagon stage that was about the size of two phone booths . The first tableau was a re-creation of Louis Betts ’ “ The Girl of the Golden West ,” portrayed by Josie Derkum Rice , who had been the original model for Betts ’ painting 18 years earlier .
1935 : It wasn ’ t until this year that Roy Ropp — who would become known as the Father of the Pageant — stepped in as director and renamed the show Pageant of the Masters . With the help of his wife , Marie , he added painted backdrops , music and narration as well as a bigger stage at the new location at Heisler Point next to the LBAA art gallery . Roy constructed and painted the backdrops on the couple ’ s patio while Marie organized the costumes , selected music — performed by a local group called the Beaux Arts Trio — to accompany each piece , researched the artwork and wrote a script to be read during the show , which lasted 45 minutes .
1935 : Back in the day , the Pageant was a full celebration of the arts complete with activities throughout the city including studio tours , tea with artists and , in 1935 , a pirate show to entertain the kids . Over the years , the Pageant show itself has featured a variety of additions beyond re-creations of paintings and sculptures , from a live horse to a working automobile , dance troupes and more .
1936 : The second year under Roy Ropp ’ s direction , “ The Last Supper ” by Leonardo da Vinci premiered at the Pageant . This piece de resistance has become a tradition — ending every show since then , except for two years when other artists ’ renditions of the scene were re-created instead . But that first year ’ s triumph came with plenty of challenges along the way . More than twice the size of the other presentations , with 13 cast members seated behind a table , the stage had to be expanded . And finding the right person to portray Jesus proved difficult . Finally , a woman — Jackie Martin , a Festival of Arts board member — took the role , but it was kept a tightly guarded secret . As Ropp reportedly said later , “ Mrs . Martin had been blessed with a strong , noble face , excellent forehead , nose and eyes . Like a flash , I had seen the qualities I had been seeking .”
1936 : Ropp took another risk this year by introducing the Pageant ’ s first nude , a sculpture of Biblical figure Salome , who performed the Dance of the Seven Veils for her stepfather ,
King Herod Antipas . Salome was portrayed by Margo Sangster Goddard , who later recalled the uncomfortable experience . She disrobed next to the stage behind a makeshift screen , then white makeup was slathered all over her body to make her appear like a statue . Since there wasn ’ t much space between the stage and the audience back then , she later recalled that a group of kids squatted right in front of her and “ guffawed noisily .” After that one performance , Goddard didn ’ t return to pose in the show until years later when production conditions improved .
“ The Last Supper ” presentation in 1936
LAGUNA BEACH MAGAZINE 41