When the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach announced auditions for this year’s show, Laguna Woods resident Carol Glenn decided on a whim to join the tryouts.
After all, Glenn has a background in theater: She’s been an actor and director in the Old Pros performance group since 2008. She’s also a Hollywood veteran. In the 1960s, she was “the queen of B-movies,” she says.
But roles in the pageant don’t involve acting. In fact, the only skill required is to stand perfectly still for 90 seconds.
The annual production features tableaux vivants, or living pictures, bringing to life on stage famous paintings and other works of art, each with a human embedded in the piece.
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This year’s theme is “Gold Coast: Treasures of California,” showcasing the state’s rich history and artistic legacy, with a collection of masterpieces from its most prestigious museums and iconic monuments.
Auditions for the pageant took place last month in Laguna Beach.
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 precise to each piece and, beyond staying stationary as the curtain lifts, are key to getting a specific part.
“People volunteer at the Pageant of the Masters because it’s more than just being part of a production; it’s about becoming part of a family,” said Sharbie Higuchi, pageant spokesperson. “It’s a chance to connect with the community, celebrate art and history, and contribute to a tradition that inspires thousands every year.”
Glenn spontaneously joined the sizable crowd assembled on the Festival of Arts grounds to get interviewed, measured at around 37 spots (head, neck, arms, torso, back and lots more) and photographed by pageant staff.
With the seemingly endless lineup of hopefuls, the experience reminded Glenn of her old days in the film industry: “Everything was always ‘hurry up and wait,’” she said. “Surely I can hold still for 90 seconds if that was what it takes.”
Glenn’s colorful acting career began when she was in high school. Known as Carolyn Brandt at the time, she danced in Reno, Nevada, at the former Mapes Hotel, before segueing into Hollywood.
One of her more memorable films was “Rat Pfink a Boo Boo,” a humorous sendup of Batman and Robin, she said. Glenn played a rock star’s squeeze who somehow gets kidnapped but escapes, only to be caught by a gorilla.
As coincidence had it, the Festival of Arts grounds displayed a giant replica of King Kong. Glenn gamely posed with the beast, rekindling memories of working with Kogar the Ape in “Rat Pfink.”
“I have pictures of me with Kogar,” she said. “He became both family and a family joke.”
Glenn wasn’t the only Laguna Woods resident vying to become part of the living pictures.
Ray Rafla first saw a pageant show in 2018, then volunteered to work behind the scenes.
“I was a runner, getting people on and off stage. A lot of the volunteers are kids that needed help,” he said. “In my first year, I did everything I could – helped with coffee, substituted for stage volunteers.”
That led to Rafla snagging roles on stage.
“I was in a Norman Rockwell painting and in one of the ‘Last Supper’ paintings,” he said. Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece traditionally ends the production each year.
Reggie White was waiting in line to volunteer for the second year in a row.
“Last year I was in ‘The Playboys of Bacongo,’” he said, referring to Italian Daniele Tamagni’s 2008 work.
White, who was accompanied by his wife, Allison, said he had seen the pageant and attended the Festival of Arts before the pandemic, and decided to return.
“I posed the entire summer last year and also was an alternate,” he said. “I had to stand still a lot.”
Rene Andrews came accompanied by his wife, Robin. He recalled how he first heard about the pageant auditions from a customer at Stater Brothers grocery store, although he had gone to a performance in 1975.
“This is my second year, and it’s important to me,” he said. “Last year I was ‘Spectator #12’ during the fashion show segment and got to wear a big hat.”
Albert Hsu, a 12-year Laguna Woods resident, saw his first Pageant of the Masters production in 1989. He has volunteered at the pageant for four years now, he said, and was hoping for a fifth time.
“Over the years, my late wife, Olivia, and I have spent thousands of dollars on tickets for friends who have come to watch the shows with us,” he said. “I have a friend who has volunteered there for 30 years, and he inspired me to try out myself.”
Julie Tang, who accompanied Hsu, said she tried out for the production for the first time a year ago.
“He introduced me to the pageant 12 years ago and finally talked me into trying out myself,” she said. “You enjoy the people and the backstage preparations here. It’s amazing how they bring ideas to reality.”
Teri Judd has seen the pageant every year for 10 years. Nine years ago, she tried out to be an actor or costumer, she said, but didn’t get a callback.
“I always loved costuming, going to the theater, looking at art,” she said, adding that she previously worked in costuming in the Bay Area. “The pageant is a great combination to be part of.”
This year, the audition process was much the same as nine years ago, she said.
“I was amazed how thorough the measuring process is: the size of your head, neck, torso, waist and hips, length of legs,” she said.
Laguna Wood residents Esther Spector and her friend Klara Manyak were also in line to try out – not for the stage but for the costume shop or the makeup department.
“We are both from the Ukraine and had gone to the same schools, had worked in the same circles, costume design and fashion, but had never met,” Spector said.
Both had come to volunteer for the first time.
As for Glenn, she said she is not yet sure whether to commit, if called upon, as a full-time cast member or a substitute.
“It was a fun experience. The people in charge were the nicest people around,” she said. “I will make up my mind when it actually happens.”
“Gold Coast: Treasures of California” will run nightly at 8:30 p.m. from July 5 through Aug. 29. For more information and tickets, visit foapom.com.
(Orange County Register reporter Erika Ritchie contributed to this report.)
