1968 Marion Indiana Easter Pageant Vinyl 2-LP Record & News Clippings & Program

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1968 Marion Indiana Easter Pageant Vinyl 2-LP Record & News Clippings & Program
Vinyl / Jacket Grade per Goldmine Standard: VG+ / VG+; Includes program booklets and newspaper clippings as shown.
Recorded in actual performance Easter, 1968
The Marion Easter Pageant, now entering its second quarter century, has emerged from a meager gleam into a world renowned religious fes- tival. Originally begun in 1937 as a project for the inter-church youth groups, the Pageant now has become a production involving the talents and services of more than 4,000 people. This would not have been possible without the dedication and vision of the leaders in the community. Each year, during the Lenten sea- son, the Marion community and the surrounding areas look forward to re- newing acquaintances and meeting new workers who have come to be in the "Pageant.” Although much of the cast has been with the Pageant for many years, with some of the members dating from the very first Pageant, there is a turnover of about one-third of the participants each year. One doesn’t need to know the Pag- eant to become involved in the Pag- eant. New people in the Marion com- munity are always invited to share in the production whether it is by seeing it or helping to present it. The Pageant is one of those rare experiences where no one is all- important and yet each individual is very important. Clerks, secretaries, carpenters, housewives, businessmen and school children all come to share their abilities in presenting this Pas- sion play. Each person is anonymous, no names are mentioned, no salaries are paid, no admissions are charged Despite this, or rather because of this the Pageant has become the over-all driving force of Marion’s Easter sea- son as well as the message of Easter for millions of radio listeners and travelers who come from many states to see the Pageant. This non-profit corporation receives guidance from its Board of Directors which is composed of 26 members. These men and women represent the leadership of the community. Work- ing with the Board of Directors is an executive secretary who is responsible for administering and coordinating the many and varied activities that come under the name of "Pageant.” The Pageant is people. People giving of their free time to work as electri- cians, flabella bearers, seamstresses, musicians and rock builders. The Pageant is not sponsored or financed by any one organization. Rather it is truly a community effort dependent upon the generosity and concern of churches, businesses, indus- tries and individuals who have felt a closeness to the Pageant. Donations are more than just money. Time is donated, storage space, use of facilities and much of the actual equipment. All are significant contributions to each year’s production. Since the mid-1950’s the Pageant has been organized with a musica 1 rector who is responsible for re ieaf$ ing and conducting all of the inspn jng one-hour musical score. There is also a drama director who is respon- sible for coordinating the activities of the cast and technical crews for the one-hour dramatic presentation. Each person who works with the Pageant is a key member of the organ- ization. Much work goes on behind the scenes during the six or seven weeks preceding Easter. These people fit, clean and press costumes, adjust and install lights, refurbish scenery and properties, apply make-up, type cast listings and letters, and rehearse every detail of the presentation. Al- though it seems that the floor of Marion’s Memorial Coliseum is al- most magically transformed into the streets of Jerusalem, many hours of intensive work have gone into each area of the Sunday morning sunrise spectacle. Spurred on by a revitalized spirit, the Pageant has been making plans for another 25 years of progress. New mu- sical arrangements created to serve the size and need of the orchestra and chorus have already been completed. In keeping with its program of expan- sion and renovation, the Board of Directors appointed a technical direc- tor who is to be responsible for coor- dinating the physical and mechanical aspects of the production. New scen- ery and production ideas are now be- ing instituted for this year’s Pageant as well as those of the years following. The Pageant is unique in that no spoken commentary is ever used. The moving story of the last week of the life of Jesus on earth is told entirely with pantomime, pageantry and the music of great anthems and familiar hymns. The presentation begins with the Palm Sunday entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem. The story, pre- sented in six separate scenes, trans- ports the audience through the joys, sufferings, trials and sorrows leading to the Resurrection morn. The Pag- eant concludes the one-hour perform- ance with a mighty burst of praise in Handel’s famous “Hallelujah Chorus” which expresses the universal exulta- tion of all Christendom. Each minute detail of the Pageant has been carefully researched and au- thenticated in historical accuracy and in keeping with the traditions of great religious art. Such widely separated details as the right color for a rock or the breastplate for a high priest have been checked and re-checked from many sources. The scenes of the Last Supper, the Garden of Gethsemane, the trial before Pontius Pilate and the Resurrection have been patterned after the religious works of such great artists as Sallman and Leonardo Da Vinci. Often, in rehearsing for the per- formance, an accidental action or movement has been so meaningful as to become an integral part of the next year’s Pageant and those of the years following. A child picked up a flower which had been used in one of the garlands during the Triumphal Entry. Later when she became caught up in the emotions of the trial and persecu- tion of Jesus, she dropped the flower at the feet of the Christus as he passed her while carrying the cross. Indeed, children, in their natural- ness and simple faith, often give the Pageant many of its moments of great- est beauty. Their actions, unhampered by self-consciousness and awareness of the multitudes around them, often express the true message of Easter morning. Because the Pageant is really an effort of total community involvement and not just a yearly theatrical repre- sentation, it has never lost its fresh- ness and vitality. Each year the old story is a new story for our time. One example of this involvement is the man who, while sweeping the tarpau- lin which covers the basketball floor at the Memorial Coliseum, said, “I never thought I would ever be al- lowed to sweep the streets of Jeru- salem.” One young man who has been in the Pageant most of his life wrote, “I consider the Marion Easter Pageant to be the richest religious experience of my life.” Another has stated, “If we never do another thing in our com- munity, we won’t be forgotten. Our town has become known nation-wide for this representation of community spirit.” The Pageant presentation is itself a lot like the message of Easter. One worker sums it up by saying, “When you enter the Coliseum on Easter morning, it is dark outside. When you leave the building, a new day is beginning. It is like the beginning of a new life for another year. It is the complete meaning of Easter. Your eyes, mind and heart are full of the greatest story ever told, and the sun- rise is the climax.”...
Elvis Hughes 401 5th Street Carmi, Illinois 62821




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