More Memories

This picture shows the cymbal girls dancing through the lines of harpists. I always loved this part of the pageant, because it was so fun to watch the crowd. I would sit just to the right of all the guys in the lower part of the picture, and I would always turn my attention to the people in the bleachers across from me. Those who hadn't seen the production before had no idea how loud those cymbals were going to be when they crashed...and they'd all jump and then try to look around as though it hadn't startled them. Very funny. I sat right in front of the orchestra during that part, so I got the full ear-brunt of the cymbal crash. The cymbals they used for this song were enormous and for many years, the lady who played them was this itty bitty petite lady...actually about the same size as the cymbals. I had no idea how she could manage them, but did she ever!

I'm actually in this one...that's me there on the step in the pink costume and white head piece. This was the part where the Christus (that was what they called the man who played Jesus in the Pageant) blessed the children. I don't remember much about this part because pretty much by the time I was old enough to have Pageant memories, I was too tall to be in the blessing scene.


I was probably about 22 or so the first time I ever saw this scene, and it mesmerized me once I saw it in full costume and makeup. For the first 20 or so years I was in the Pageant, the role I played was offstage during the Last Supper scene, so I never saw it. But in college, I switched roles and got to stay out on the floor the entire time, so I was laying down on the floor with a perfect shot of this amazing scene. The curtain went up and the Christus and all the disciples were perfectly still in the pose of the famous painting. They'd break the pose to do the Last Supper and then go back into the pose as the curtain went down.

Back in the "good" days of the Pageant, this cross-bearing scene was always really powerful because the director would ask the crowd to get all riled up and fight against the line of soldiers holding them back. When the lady who directed for many years had to stop and someone else took her place, this part never had quite as much power behind it.

This is actually a postcard that they made one year...and our family is on it! It is obviously quite an old picture, because I'm that little girl in pink being held by her father right next to the soldier. Mom is the one in yellow beside us. I was always most nervous during this part because the whole room was dark except for the lights right over the stage - and it would get so hot up there. I always figured if I'd ever be likely to pass out, it would happen right at this moment.