The British Pageant tells the story of the arrival of the first missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) who came from America to Preston, Lancashire, to preach the gospel. People were converted within the first week of the missionaries’ arrival, and ultimately thousands of people from Lancashire, Scotland, London, and all over the United Kingdom left their homes and travelled to America to bolster the fledging church there.
Pageants are a celebration of events, people, and places that are important in the history of the church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sponsors several pageants around the world, with the British Pageant being the only one outside of the United States. Mark Lusvardi, Director of Public Programs for the Mormon faith, explains the reason for the British Pageant. “It is for the purpose of strengthening the faith of the members of our church who participate, and giving an opportunity to invite others to come and enjoy and learn about our message and learn who we are.” Lusvardi extends an invitation to everyone to “come and celebrate our heritage with us.”
The Pageant is performed entirely by volunteers. Not only are the cast volunteers, but also the crew and those helping with costumes, hair and makeup - they come from all over the country to be part of the Pageant. There will be more than 300 people on stage including a choir of over 100 people. There are about 25 core cast members as well as two family casts made up of individual families who come together to perform song and dance on stage over the two weeks of the Pageant.
The Pageant will take place on the site of the Preston, England Temple in a special marque built for this event with a capacity of 1,700 people. Everyone is invited to attend.
Dates of the Pageant are 1-5 and 8-12 August. Tickets are free of charge.
For more information and to order tickets, visit www.ldsbritishpageant.co.uk