                          |
Pre-Show Participation
During their first week in Nauvoo, pageant cast members rehearse during the day and host pre-show activities each evening just prior to the pageant performance. (Red Cast members will engage audience members in gospel conversations but will not have specific pre-show assignments during this time.) The pre-show invites audience members to take part in the spirit of Old Nauvoo by participating in a nineteenth-century country fair with festive games, crafts, and other activities. In many instances, these activities rely on the particular skills of cast members. In the Talent/Biographical section of the cast application, families are asked to indicate talents that could possibly be used in this festive celebration. Examples of activities are given below. During the pre-show celebration, a dance band of guitars, strings, and percussion plays music of the nineteenth century as cast members teach round dances to pageant visitors. Youth in the cast host athletic contests such as pulling sticks and running gunny sack races. Small groups of sisters invite audience members to quilt or braid rugs. Men of the cast assist visitors in log-sawing and tug-of-war competitions, while costumed children invite their peers to roll hoops, play marbles, and participate in other games. Visitors are also entertained by a live puppet show and the opportunity to pull handcarts. The pre-show celebration concludes each evening as bagpipers lead a festive parade into the seating area to begin the pageant performance.
|
