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| Nauvoo Pageant Commercial 2010 | ||||||||||||||
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A Brief Introduction to the Nauvoo Pageant by Greg Davies and Blaine Hofeling |
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The following
was written in 2009 by
pageant cast member
Greg Davies and edited by Blaine Hofeling. Greg takes full responsibility for the accuracy & content. Enjoy! Official Nauvoo Pageant Site
Nauvoo holds a very sacred place in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS, Mormon). Within only a few short years of the Saints being driven from their homes in Missouri, the LDS faithful gathered together and built a thriving city from a swamp in a bend of the Mississippi in Illinois. The amazing migration of thousands of converts from missionary efforts in Europe and elsewhere caused the population of Nauvoo to swell to over 12,000 citizens. The city rivaled Quincy, Springfield & even Chicago in size and political power. In this unlikely spot, the Saints built a beautiful Temple to the Lord. But they enjoyed only a few short years of relative peace before being forced once again to walk away from their beautiful city and beloved Temple. It was difficult to leave behind homes, farms and possessions. But those early Saints claimed that leaving behind the Temple was the most difficult. They simply had to pack what they could carry, point their wagons west and head into an unknown wilderness in search of a resting place.
The Nauvoo Pageant chronicles the
building of Nauvoo and the Temple as well as the hopes of
these early Saints,
their trials and their joys. But most of all it tells of their love for the Lord.
It is a celebration in song, dance and testimony echoing
their testimony that
Jesus is the Christ yesterday, today and forever.
With painstaking research, this live performance shows
why thousands came to Nauvoo in the 1840's and portrays the faith and courage
it took to follow a Prophet even in their poverty. To
be able to build that glorious temple after being
refugees in Quincy IL only a few years before showed
incredible faith. They
had very little to give financially, but they gave all
they had to this effort. Although the original
Temple had barely begun to be used when the saints were forced to
leave, they left knowing they had followed the
commandment of the Lord. 150 years after the
original temple was destroyed and left in ruin, the new
Nauvoo
Temple has been reconstructed as close to the
original structure as possible. We can feel the
rejoicing in heaven as those early saints look down and
see that their beloved temple once again standing
majestically on the bluff overlooking the Mississippi.
They must feel complete joy as they see that their faith
and sacrifices to follow the Lord and build that temple
in their poverty was not forgotten. It is a testimony to
all who see this beautiful temple that with God, nothing
is impossible.
The once thriving city of 12,000 residents in the 1840's has now become a quiet community of less than 1,000. Yet thousands of visitors come every year to Nauvoo all throughout the year. They come to remember and to honor those early Saints. Volunteer Missionaries serve faithfully in reconstructed historic homes and buildings. They dress in old Nauvoo era clothing and bring the past to life through stories , demonstrations and artifacts. Guests are invited to "Walk the gardens of the newly reconstructed Nauvoo Temple, and discover the arts of blacksmithing, coopering, weaving, candle-making, printing, brick making, and more. Explore a historic bakery equipped with a bustle oven, examine the gun collection of the Browning family, or review the stirring history of the early settlers at the visitors center. There's so much to see and do, and it's all free." (See More) It is worth the trip to Nauvoo just to visit the historic homes and shops, see the shows, and listen to the stories told on the wagon rides. But now there is yet another reason to visit Nauvoo each summer.
In August 2004 an announcement was made by LDS Church leaders that a new pageant was going to be produced to replace the City of Joseph Pageant. This prior pageant had been a wonderful part of Nauvoo for nearly a quarter century and many were sad to see it end. But the new Nauvoo Pageant soon won over the hearts of those who love Nauvoo. The Church's Cultural Arts Department was given the assignment to create a pageant that would tell of the spiritual history of Joseph's beloved city of Nauvoo. The committee only had a few months to complete the script, production, casting, costuming, set design and construction and all other things necessary to complete the Pageant. This event was in honor of the 160th Anniversary of the martyrdom of Joseph & Hyrum on June 27, 1844.
Many wonderful pageants were and still are currently running in different parts of the country that were conceived and started by very talented local groups of individuals. As the pageants attained a certain level of prominence, the Church would offer technical, professional and other assistance. But this new Nauvoo Pageant was different. Although the Cultural Arts department had produced several wonderful productions such as "Savior of the World," they had never attempted a pageant. This was the first pageant to be created, produced and directed completely by the Church itself. It was also unique in that it was a combined effort with the full resources and joint cooperation of the Church's Cultural Arts, Priesthood & Missionary Departments. The result was nothing short of miraculous.
Exhaustive research went into this production to insure
its historical accuracy down to the smallest detail
including the characters,
costumes, dialogue and content. The musical
accompaniment is a beautiful blend of mostly hymn
arrangements with a few dance numbers. The Pageant was
designed to follow the newly released advance copy of
of the missionary manual "Preach My Gospel." With
oversight from many Church leaders, the final script
featured a story of a Scottish couple arriving in Nauvoo
and of their experiences among the saints. It focuses on
the simple truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that
those early Saints sacrificed so much for in Nauvoo and
that many continue to sacrifice for today.
The Nauvoo Country Fair is another inspired innovation.
Instead of waiting hours for the pageant to begin,
guests enjoy 20 different 1840's style games and
activities hosted by family cast members dressed in
period costumes. In 2007 a station was added with
computers where guests
can enter information to access genealogical
connections to the main characters represented in the
pageant such as Joseph, Emma & Hyrum Smith, Brigham
Young, Parley P. Pratt & others. More than half of the
pageant guests are surprised to see they are related to
one or more of the pageant characters.
This year's production will again have a cast of
hundreds comprised mostly of families who come to Nauvoo
at their own expense. They give up family vacations, and
make many other sacrifices to serve. Some families
confess they even gave up Christmas to serve! Although
they miss other worthwhile activities, cast members tell
that this event changes their lives in ways they could
not have imagined. Pageant guests echo that same feeling
after experiencing Nauvoo and all it has to offer.
Want
to serve in the pageant next year? |
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