Pageant of the Masters casting call sees first-timers, returners look to land roles
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Not for the first time, hundreds of volunteers, young and old, started their new year with aspirations of landing an on-stage role in this year’s Pageant of the Masters, which is planned for July 9 through Sept. 4.
Open casting call is an annual opportunity for folks to get a look behind the scenes, to glimpse the selected works for the upcoming show, and if they so desire, to offer themselves up as potential pawns for this longstanding Laguna Beach tradition.
The Pageant of the Masters drew 840 volunteers from across the region, many hoping for the chance to show that they, like many before them, can stand still for 90 seconds in a tableaux vivant, or living picture.
Just ask Valentina Gallegos, a 6-year-old from Anaheim Hills. She went through the process of getting measured from head to toe the year prior, but she did not land a part. Her older sister, Victoria Gallegos, was cast as a character from a Helena Modjeska fairy tale.
Works of art to appear in this summer’s show themed, “The Greatest of All Time,” were displayed on a board. After happening upon a picture of “The Dance Foyer at the Opera,” a 19th-century painting by Edgar Degas, Valentina said she wanted to be a ballerina.
“I’ve been practicing,” added Valentina, who proceeded to pose with pride.
The Pageant of the Masters has been referred to as a family of volunteers, a notion that Victoria gave credence to in describing her relationship with fellow cast members in her prior participation.
“The people in my same piece, I actually gained a friendship with them,” Victoria said. “There was this little kid in my piece, and his name was Jack, and we really liked him. We were always laughing with him.”
Chloe Frechette, 11, of Tustin, a close friend of the Gallegos family, also made it into last year’s show, “Gold Coast: Treasures of California,” assisting in the replication of a piece from a chess set on display at the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena.
“I like being backstage and, like, seeing everyone and, like, their paintings and how everything goes,” Frechette said of the casting call experience.
The casting call event took place last Friday through Sunday at the Festival of Arts grounds, with the weekend featuring the return of Family Fun Fest for a second year.
Those who signed up to volunteer received a voucher for an item from a food truck. There were also extensive opportunities to interact with artists from the past and present.
Volunteers dressed up as famous artists, including Sara Duran, a Mission Viejo resident who was walking the grounds as the artist Frida Kahlo. She received a call to roam around as a live actor after previously landing two roles in the 2024 production, “Á La Mode: The Art of Fashion” — as a golden brooch in Henri Vever’s “La Sève” and in the 14th-century painting “Royal Parisian Wedding.”
“I came with my makeup on, but they just put on the headpiece, and the outfit was already ready to go,” Duran said. “I just had to throw it on, but normally, when you’re getting ready, depending on the piece, makeup could take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how intricate it is.
“When I was painted all gold, they paint your whole body, but it only took like 10 minutes because they literally take a paintbrush and paint your whole body, and then you’re done.”
Festival artists were also on hand to conduct workshops, while others made the day extra special for young guests by offering face painting.
Ross Johnson, 18, of Ladera Ranch, was also among the contingent of artist and character likenesses interacting with the crowd. Having had family and friends participate in the show, he said he comes back to sign up every year.
Asked how the kids were responding to the costumes of the live actors, Johnson noted they expressed curiosity, if not fully understanding the transformation, before being given an explanation of the backstage contributors in the costume, headpiece and makeup departments.
“Last summer was my sixth summer volunteering at the pageant,” Johnson said. “I really like helping support this organization, and I’m happy to help out with this, as well. It’s fun to be able to be here and just spread what the pageant is and what we do, because it’s really hard to explain what we do to anybody. It’s just fun to be able to be a part of that.”
