My family
has had the amazing opportunity to participate in several church-sponsored
plays and pageants. One of these was the
Nauvoo Pageant. As the pageant website describes,
“the pageant emphasizes the prophetic mission of Joseph Smith and honors the
sacrifice, faith and courage of the Saints who gave their all to build a city
and a temple to their God.” As a member
of the pageant cast, my entire family was set apart as part-time missionaries
of the church. My family served in this
capacity two summers in a row, and my life was richly blessed and enhanced by
the things I learned and felt during those months. We were able to use the stories of early
pioneers in church history to connect with audience members from around the
world. The pageant connects with its
cast and audience using authentic hymns and folksongs, lively dances, and true
personal stories from the 1800s. I
learned during this time about how a well-written play can influence a
considerably large audience from many different phases of life. I connected with characters in the pageant
and from history in ways I never could have imagined, including Joseph and Emma
Smith, Brigham Young, and Parley P. Pratt.
Participating in the pageant taught me how music, lyrics, dances,
sermons, lighting, and word choice influence how a play is performed and received. I am so grateful to have had the chance to
serve and learn in the Nauvoo Pageant.
