Making pageant costumes in Nauvoo

The crown jewel of the summer tourist season in Nauvoo, Ill., is the pageant that depicts the dramatic story of the early LDS Church there.With music, drama, dance and humor, a cast of nearly 200 tells the story of 1840s Nauvoo and a people who built a thriving city out of what had been swamp land.Costuming such a period piece is a challenge augmented by the fact that the Nauvoo Pageant will use five different family casts over the course of the summer, bringing the number of people who need costumes to about 750, and the number of costume pieces to more than 10,000.\"Costumes bring visual magic to the production,\" said Susie Geertsen, head of the Nauvoo Pageant's wardrobe team, which includes local sewing volunteers and stitchers who come from many parts of the country to Nauvoo at least two weeks before opening night to staff the sewing machines.The hundreds of actors for this season sent their measurements to Geertsen before they arrived in Nauvoo so that costumes could be altered to fit. Then, each hat, vest, shirt, dress, apron, petticoat and bonnet was labeled, categorized and sorted.Many of the cast members have at least five costume changes. The wardrobe mistresses check before each scene to make sure each costume change matches the scene. As the pageant progresses, the costumes become noticeably lighter in color to represent the spiritual enlightenment of the characters portrayed on the stage.The current pageant was first produced in 2005, but families have been traveling to Nauvoo to dance and entertain visitors for 33 years.The original 2005 costumes were designed, constructed and sewn by just 12 volunteers. Each was created out of 100 percent cotton material to withstand years of wearings and washings. This year, 50 new costumes have been added for the pageant's country fair preshow.The pageant opened July 7 and continues Tuesdays through Fridays until Aug. 1. All performances are free and begin with pre-show activities at 7 p.m. The pageant begins at 8:30 p.m.