James Solis Gutierrez has pis photo taken during the first casting call in Laguna Beach on Jan. 5, 2024, for the Pageant of Mastersxe2x80x99 summer shows. ….(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Folks who want to be part of a troupe of silent actors whose only job is to stand perfectly still for 90 seconds showed up in Laguna Beach over the weekend to see if they measure up.
The annual Pageant of the Masters will put on “À La Mode: The Art of Fashion” this July through August and was looking for volunteers for the two casts that will help create the show’s tableaux vivants, better known as living pictures.
Henry Cherry of Santa Ana gets measured during the first casting call in Laguna Beach on Jan. 5, 2024, for the Pageant of Mastersxe2x80x99 summer shows. ….(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Henry Cherry of Santa Ana gets measured during the first casting call in Laguna Beach on Jan. 5, 2024, for the Pageant of Mastersxe2x80x99 summer shows. ….(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Photos of the scenes of the upcoming show were on display during the first casting call in Laguna Beach on Jan. 5, 2024, for the Pageant of Mastersxe2x80x99 summer shows. ….(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Delaney Schmidt gets her head measured during the first casting call in Laguna Beach on Jan. 5, 2024, for the Pageant of Mastersxe2x80x99 summer shows. ….(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Volunteers wait with their name placards to have their photos made during the first casting call in Laguna Beach on Jan. 5, 2024, for the Pageant of Mastersxe2x80x99 summer shows. ….(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Delaney Schmidt gets set to have her photo taken during the first casting call in Laguna Beach on Jan. 5, 2024, for the Pageant of Mastersxe2x80x99 summer shows. ….(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Each volunteer has their photo made with a identification placard during the first casting call in Laguna Beach on Jan. 5, 2024, for the Pageant of Mastersxe2x80x99 summer shows. ….(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
James Solis Gutierrez has pis photo taken during the first casting call in Laguna Beach on Jan. 5, 2024, for the Pageant of Mastersxe2x80x99 summer shows. ….(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Delaney Schmidt gets measured during the first casting call in Laguna Beach on Jan. 5, 2024, for the Pageant of Mastersxe2x80x99 summer shows. ….(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
After getting measured, Kristin Hennessy has her photo taken during the first casting call in Laguna Beach on Jan. 5, 2024, for the Pageant of Mastersxe2x80x99 summer shows. ….(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Nancy Remley of Newport Beach at 5xe2x80x992xe2x80x9d measures Bruce Nelson 6xe2x80x994xe2x80x9dof Orange during the first casting call in Laguna Beach on Jan. 5, 2024, for the Pageant of Mastersxe2x80x99 summer shows. ….(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
While some wait in line for their photo to be made, others are measured during the first casting call in Laguna Beach on Jan. 5, 2024, for the Pageant of Mastersxe2x80x99 summer shows. ….(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Peter Mares of Dana Point is dressed for the occasion as he gets his head measures during the first casting call in Laguna Beach on Jan. 5, 2024, for the Pageant of Mastersxe2x80x99 summer shows. ….(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
Karen Kaye gets measured during the first casting call in Laguna Beach on Jan. 5, 2024, for the Pageant of Mastersxe2x80x99 summer shows. ….(Photo by Michael Goulding, Contributing Photographer)
The show uses two casts of 150 people who rotate each week. The volunteers, wearing costumes, makeup and headpieces, pose to recreate the artwork. Measurements are very specific to each piece and, beyond staying stationary as the curtain lifts, are key to getting a specific part.
The upcoming production will be the pageant’s 91st show.
Produced by Diane Challis Davy, now directing her 28th season, this year’s show draws from modern and historical fashion, she said. Some inspirations include the 2019 Dolce and Gabbana runway show, the annual Met Gala ball, and television programs such as “Project Runway” and “Fashion Police.”
“Modern fashion shows are very theatrical, and designers are always pushing the envelope of outrageousness and showmanship,” Challis Davy said. “That appeals to me.”
“In the hands of classic designers like the House of Worth in the 19th century on up to today’s modern masters like Alexander McQueen, fashion has become increasingly more extravagant,” she said.
This year’s show will display paintings by American artist John Singer Sargent, French artists Edouard Manet and James Tissot and British painters Thomas Gainsborough and David Hockney. The pageant will also showcase brooches and pendants from jewelers in the early 1900s, and some figurines by artist and designer Erté.
There will also be a nod to Hollywood designer Edith Head, including sketches and movie posters from her collaboration with director Alfred Hitchcock.
Typically, many who volunteer as cast have been in the show before, and many have formed long-term friendships from being part of the iconic Laguna Beach art tradition.
While not everyone trying out this weekend will be cast, there are also behind-the-scenes roles such as volunteering with hair or makeup or assisting with the set on stage. There are also opportunities to be a substitute where people are called for a one-day appearance, sometimes on short notice.
Cast notifications are made as early as the end of January and as late as June. The pageant rehearses one to three set pieces each week.
