Pageant of The Masters - History

History

In 1933, at the second Festival of Arts, artist Lolita Perine had an idea for a living work of art. Convincing residents of Laguna Beach to dress in costume, she seated them behind an oversized frame, recreating well-known works of art. The "Spirit of the Masters Pageant" was formally started the next year by the Festival's organizers and was put on again in 1934, but in those early days was an awfully amateurish operation. In 1934, local developer Roy Ropp expressed his dissatisfaction with the poor quality of the production in blunt terms; the Festival's board responded to his frank criticism by placing him in charge of the Pageant. He renamed it the "Pageant of the Masters" and with the assistance of his wife Marie, organized a high-quality and well-received production in the summer of 1935. Building upon this initial success, the Ropps continued to refine and improve the Pageant through its 1941 production; then the Festival and Pageant were suspended for four years due to World War II. Because of increasing personal friction between the Ropps and the Festival's board, Roy Ropp came back only once after the war to direct the Pageant, in 1950. He died in 1974, but today is still remembered as the "Father of the Pageant."