High Life A WEEKLY FORUM FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS : Sitting Still for Art : Students Are Model Participants in Pageant of the Masters

LAGUNA BEACH —  There are artists who can draw with such meticulous detail and heartfelt passion that their work seems to come alive. And then there are the artists involved with the Pageant of the Masters, who are able to produce works of art that are alive.

Since 1932, the Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach has presented the Pageant of the Masters, complete each summer with two volunteer casts of 121 members. Along with a narrator and orchestra, they re-create some of the world’s most famous works.

Kim Twigger got an early itch to get involved with the pageant at the suggestion of her best friend when they were in the third grade.

“It’s a commitment to go down to Laguna Beach from 7 to 11 p.m., seven nights a week, every other week,” said Twigger, who will be a freshman at Trabuco Hills High School this fall. “But I meet a lot of artists who work in the festival and make a lot of new friends.”

Twigger is still excited enough about being in the pageant that she has returned for this, her seventh summer, to be one of the dolls in the re-creation of “The Doll House of Petronella de la Court.”

“It’s a lot of fun,” said Twigger, whose parents serve on the pageant’s research committee. “People in the pageant are all different ages, from 5-year-olds to people in their 60s.”

If you’ve never been to the Pageant of the Masters and the concept, perhaps, is still a bit unclear, try this:

It is a collection of 23 re-creations of works of art that range from paintings to sculptures and porcelain pieces originally created by artists such as Pierre Auguste Renoir, Georges Seurat and Leonardo da Vinci.

Each re-creation is made up of a particular number of costumed people, scenery and props. First, more than 60 makeup artists, 15 hairdressers and 30 wardrobe people--also all volunteers--help transform each cast member into the “part” he or she will be portraying.

“After you check in, they call in your group for costumes. Then it takes a half-hour to an hour to get your makeup done,” said Jesse Swimm, a sophomore at Dana Hills High who also appears in “The Doll House of Petronella de la Court.”

Before each artwork appears on stage, the scenery is rolled in, the props are put in place, and the cast members are placed in their posed positions. All the while, Thurl Ravenscroft (better know as the voice of Tony the Tiger) sets the scene with his narration from the top of the Irvine Bowl.

Finally, trick lighting illuminates the stage, causing each “painting” to appear two-dimensional. The orchestra, under the direction of Richard Henn, plays music specifically composed and arranged for each piece as the cast members involved remain frozen for the few minutes each “scene” lasts.

“I almost fainted the first time because it gets really hot under the lights and in your costumes,” said Swimm, who is in his second summer with the pageant.

Auditions are held each January, and anyone can try out. Selection primarily depends on your physical measurements, as each piece of art to be depicted requires people of particular size, shape or age. Gender, however, does not appear to be a factor in every case.

“I play a guy in the ‘Doll House,’ ” Twigger said. “When I get there, I go into the dressing room--the girls’ side--and they give me my costume, head cap, safety belt, stockings, hair piece and mustache. Then I get my makeup done.”

Swimm, who said he volunteered because he “thought it would be a fun experience,” also said he’s found it to be “a lot of hard work.”

“It got tense on opening night,” he said. “You’re not sure if it’s going to work or not, but it’s really organized backstage.

“We get big crowds every night, and I get stage fright every night.”

Twigger said she doesn’t get very nervous because when she looks into the audience, all she can see are binoculars.

The Pageant of the Masters runs through Aug. 30 and is presented in the Irvine Bowl, on the grounds of the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach. The tickets for the nightly show, which begins at 8:30, are available at the door for $12 to $38.