Great works come to life

EYE ON ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Through Aug. 29 a number of the most famous works of art in history

are on exhibit exclusively in Laguna Beach. Some of the pieces

include John Falter’s “Getting Ready for School,” Norman Rockwell’s

“First Day of School” and “First in His Class,” Currier and Ives “The

Road Winter.” Perhaps the most famous, among the collection of more

than 24 pieces, is Sandro Botticelli’s “Primavera” and “The Last

Supper” by Leonardo da Vinci.

What makes this experience different than other art showings is

that these great works are living and breathing, part human, paint,

canvas and sculpture. People actually get to be the painting at the

Pageant of the Masters, with more than 500 volunteers making it

happen along with a handful of staff, who are wizards in the various

department, creating each piece to an exactitude of the original.

It’s an unbelievable experience, watching the most famous pieces

of art come to life.

This year’s theme is “Seasons,” celebrating change through time

and nostalgia.

Most of the 3D objects that are part of the painting or sculpture

are made out of sheets of Styrofoam with a wood base and steel

reinforcement. Using the Styrofoam, which is laminated, the artists

build the art around the steel and plywood frame that have been

welded together.

Judy Parker and Lyle Brooks are the sculptors. They have to know

exactly every angle that will show and figure that aspect out by

doing projections.

This year Parker said the biggest challenge was doing the art deco

lamps.

“Usually we use Styrofoam for almost everything,” Parker said.

“With these we had to use a heated plastic and had to form the lamps,

which is not an easily controlled material to work with. I have to

mold it -- heat it, bend it over my knee, it’s so large and awkward

trying to get the form shaped, it’s a three-feet span.”

She said every year is a different challenge. Parker has been

doing this for 20 years and said that this has been the first year

that there are no horses, which are her favorite to do.

She said doing a Shiva is difficult, getting the extra arms to

meet the body is time consuming.

Each piece of art a volunteer has to pose on has a safety belt, so

when the cast member is put in a position, to exact the piece, they

remain in place and are able to hold the pose. The stagehands help

technical director and lighting designer Butch Hill with lighting.

Each light bulb is individually switched and controlled by a light

board. Some of the tableaux have light built into the actual set.

A crane moves the art and puts it onstage and the sets above the

main stage are built in place.

The set, which is typically 12-feet tall, starts in their

carpenter shop, progressing to be painted. To draw and paint the

scenes, scenic artists David Rymar and Sharon Lamberg take a

projection of a slide and project it to scale, to make sure the scale

is correct, and draw the scene from there.

“Sometimes we have several different versions of the art as a tool

-- because a work can have several different variations in detail and

color,” scenic artist Lamberg said. “We make sure what we produce is

the most pleasing.”

To determine the intricacies of the set, the artists determine the

height of the cast member who will be posing first and then their

shoulder dimensions. Sometimes the person will have to be seated

behind the set to make to make it perfect and have a whole cut out,

for just their face to appear, and other times people are placed in

front.

“Usually their full body is in front,” Lamberg said.

The scenic artists are also responsible for painting the cast’s

costumes, which are an integral part of the pageant.

Costume director Marcy O’Malley explained that there are so many

intricate details involved in each costume.

“We make each costume and then sew in the movement in the way we

shape things,” O’Malley said. “We have to structure it accordingly.

Most important are the linear movements.”

On stage every night, O’Malley works as a “poser” and puts the

cast in position before each piece is seen. Her crew has become

accustomed to have to redo and change costumes, which is another

exciting element.

In the makeup department, the makeup artists use Styrofoam model

heads that pose as an example at every station to make sure the

artists get it exactly. They also have a picture of each piece of

work that they are creating, to double check the process, becoming

the visual aids for the approximately 22 makeup artists. The models

are in order from left to right to match the sequence of each piece

in order of the show.

During the 60 days of the pageant, they will use more than 100

gallons of makeup on the models.

“We copy what the artist does,” makeup director Joy Trent said. “

We try to cover or highlight colors or produce shadows -- whatever is

needed to make it match the painting.”

Headpiece director Mary LaVenture does further production in the

headpiece department. None of the cast is allowed to use their own

hair, instead each volunteer is fitted with a cap and hair or details

are added, where the illusion of looking real is transformed she

explained.

“Because it is a painting, you are taking a three-dimensional

person and trying to turn that into a believable two-dimensional

replica.”

The most important person of all in the Pageant of the Masters is

director Diane Challis Davy who has done an exceptional job over the

years as director. Mention her name to anyone in town and people coo

about what a marvelous asset she is to the show -- and she is.

Challis Davy gets as many enthusiastic thumbs up as possible. That

would be all of Laguna and everyone who sees the show -- that’s a lot

of thumbs.

And it’s show time ... bringing all these elements together on

stage, the curtain is opened and another masterpiece comes to life

creating a pageant of the masters, bringing the most notable pieces

of art to Laguna Beach since 1933.

“Seasons” will be performed nightly through Aug. 29. Tickets for

the pageant are available at the box office or by calling 494-1145.

The Pageant of the Masters is performed in the Irvine Bowl on the

Festival of Arts grounds at 650 Laguna Canyon Road.

* SUZIE HARRISON is a reporter for the Laguna Beach Coastline

Pilot. She may be reached at 494-4321 or [email protected].