HOW PAGEANTSTARE MADE.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 September 1924, Page 4

HOW PAGEANTS T ARE MADE.

(Frank l.asc-elles in Daily Mail). The keynote of the successful pageant must he sounded in a rhythmiccolour scale. Pageantry is, primarily, an appeal to the mini! through the medium of the- eye. If that appeal is to he elfective the eye niii-t lie satislied.

Harmony in colour, not mere lavishilcss, must he aimed at. Always in the building up of the complete spt-r----tnele ii-.nsL the- Pageant Master exercise tin- greatest discrimi mu ion and cure, lie- must lit- cautious and yet generous in the use ol his palette. 11l the ease of the* Pageant of Ktllpire. which sets out to purl ray the spirit and achievement of the Rritish race, a considerable amount of preliminary discussion was necessary lecture- the linal .sclu-mc which would omit ini vital period, act. or incident in tin- life of our Umpire was evolved.

Accuracy in historical detail was achieved with the aid of the historians

ol car'i sepal.lie Dominion. Once this epic story was derided upon, there re-main:-1 the oci-l cI i Mien 11 ta-k of all. It. had to he presente-d in a form worthy ot its greatness. It had to U ehithed, as it were. In the- larlui nic- colour scale of the whole, each episode strikes its own distinctive note. Alter the splendour and geirg--ou-; ii-.otlcy of the- Klizabetban period come the more subdued tone-. ,ii it... S.-nili \fii.an epi-e-h-., nlmh ;•i i■■ pin. elo In. t. ..I -t■ • \ .11 I InlliigOi*nnl sec-nes, which in turn cm phasise the rich tuning nl \an dvr Sid's vi u.*.v;iril, where the grape sup plies the colour motif. The parole of tin- cassocks ol the 1 1.-rgy. tli- gay reds and yellows ot the In-ralds, tie- pale lavender and puce of the pages, the kaleidoscope of Henry All's Court these ami the

blazing crim-ons. . luri|ii<>isc I>!i:«• ~. «> 111 • ■ rnl l l greens, oran.n«- :iiiil gold of tin* I■ i Ii:i 11 sl:il<‘ procession, with the always lnrliliii'.'ilili l . uever-ehailgiiig him- ui' l lif .N'nv.v, all'ord preliminary rflicl' to Iho crepe trappings of tie Nelson funeral barge. In tin* present pageant there were no fewer tlnm 12,(1110 costumes to nnike. Not till el tltese tire ililiereiit, of course, hill the net result ol the dress designers’ hihottrs was ti nioinitSlill of sketches lying on my desk fortipprovtil. liefore one could eiell think of rulliiij; the clolli the colours hud to Inchosen. In one of my mini's I have still n (ohissid assortment of materials in countless shades and colours, torn from thousands of pattern hooks. An idea of the work entailed in this mnv In* etineed from the fact that in tin* Elizabethan episode, which is notahle for its variety of costume, the shade of red for the royal heralds was not finally decided upon until no teller than olll) dilfereiit patterns had hi-cn caret itllv examined.