The Ramona Pageant
| The Ramona Pageant | |
|---|---|
 Ramona Pageant in 1950 |
|
| Written by | Garnet Holme |
| Date premiered | 1923 |
| Place premiered | Hemet, California |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | Ramona |
| Genre | Drama/Comedy |
| Setting | 1850 California |
The Ramona Outdoor Play, formerly known as (and still commonly called) the Ramona Pageant is an outdoor play staged annually at Hemet, California since 1923. The script is adapted from the 1884 novel Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson. It is held over three consecutive weekends in April and May in the Ramona Bowl, a natural amphitheater in the foothills above Hemet in Riverside County. The production features cast of more than 300, made up largely of local residents and amateur actors. In the past such professional actors as Jean Inness, Raquel Welch, Anne Archer, Karen Grant Thomas (daughter of actress Betta St. John), Onslow Stevens, Jeffrey Meek, Victor Jory, Crist Thomas, Henry Brandon, Jeff Griggs ("Days of Our Lives"), and Maurice Jara have portrayed the romantic leading roles of Ramona and her Indian lover Alessandro.
The Ramona Pageant is the largest and longest running outdoor play in the United States and it is the official state play of the State of California.[1]
[edit] References
[edit] Sources
- New York Times: "'Ramona' Country", April 19, 1953, accessed February 14, 2011
