Pageant of the Masters officials have announced that the Irvine Bowl lights will go on this summer and the “Made in America” theme that would have wowed attendees last year will be resurrected for an opening date of July 7.
Just as directors and crew last May prepared for what would have been the Pageant’s 86th year in Laguna Beach, officials declared the multi-day show could not go on as the pandemic raged. Recently businesses, public institutes and entertainment venues have been allowed to reopen as restrictions are eased as new cases of the coronavirus slow drastically.
The Festival of Arts, a juried art show, will also open again on the Festival of Arts grounds starting July 5. This long-awaited announcement befittingly was made on World Art Day, an international celebration of fine arts and creativity.
The Laguna Beach event, which typically draws more than 200,000 attendees annually, is a series of depictions of art pieces using live, but completely still, actors chosen from the community. For “Made in America,” pageant director Diane Challis-Davy focused on artists who lived in America and were inspired by the freedoms upon which the country was founded. Her planning last year included a “new arsenal of dramatic and immersive theatrical effects.”
Tickets to the Pageant of the Masters will go on sale May 3.
“The Festival has been working closely with the Laguna Beach city staff and would like to thank them for all their input and help to aid us in reaching this decision,” David Perry, Festival of Arts president, said in the announcement. The “tableaux vivantes” or “living pictures” presentation will run through Sept. 3.
Since the Pageant was established in 1932 during the Great Depression, it had only gone dark from 1942 to 1945 during World War II.
“We are thrilled to reconnect our community with live performances of the Pageant of the Masters and with our exhibiting artists this summer,” Perry said. “It has been a very challenging year for everyone – especially the arts community – and we are overjoyed and feel blessed to have arrived at this moment.”
The organizers said they will work with public health entities and government officials to implement new pandemic safety protocols.
When the show was canceled last year, Perry sent out an email to people who had pre-purchased tickets asking them to take credit and move their reservations to the 2021 show or, if they wanted refunds, they would need to be patient as the organization was strapped for cash after having already spend significant funds to develop the new show.
“We have found ourselves in the very uncomfortable and difficult position of asking you to please work with us because we are in a serious cash flow bind,” Perry wrote at the time. “We are very sorry, but we simply cannot meet the demand for refunds at this time. In light of this difficult period, we could really use your help.”
The Pageant is still processing returns for those who chose refunds, Sharbi Higuchi, spokeswoman for the Pageant and art festival, said Thursday. “We’re grateful to people who rolled over their 2020 Pageant tickets.”
