C2 The Emery County Review, Tuesday, July 22, 2008 Castle V alley Pageant the A Story of Hope... A Story of Courage... A Story of Faith.... Continued from Page C1. would write the script, she would direct it, but when they were turned down again and again by prospective writers, they went to the bishop to report that they hadn’t been able to find anyone. The bishop looked at Seely and said, “It looks to me like your dream of having a pageant is going to die, unless you write the script.” Seely didn’t want to let his dream die, so armed with “a wife with an English degree”, stories he knew of the past and “historical events that would be pertinent and interesting”, he began writing. In the book, “Castle Valley Pageant History”, which the Seelys produced for the 25th anniversary, he explains how the script evolved. In the conversational tone used throughout the book, he states, “Keep in mind that the pageant script evolved ‘line upon line’. I didn’t sit down and write down an outline; I didn’t make a list of scenes; I didn’t make a plan as to what scenes there would be, and their sequence. No—the pageant script evolved line upon line.” Eventually the script would include five main couples and more than 50 speaking parts. “It was intentional on my part when I wrote the script that there would be no stars in the production. It is above all about settlers, and I tried to keep them on a more or less equal plane,” stated Seely. As he wrote, he also worked to include lines for children. In describing the plot and theme of the script, he said, “The eight plot lines that intersect and are moved along by these 56 speaking parts include a baby being born, a child passing away, some settlers dragging their feet, some young people finding romance, some settlers struggling to tame the land through irrigation, some settlers fight- ing over water rights, the gospel being preached to the Indians, and a portrayal of the doctrine of life after death. Additionally there is an overarching theme of honoring ancestors, as put forth by the father and son narrators recounting story after story.” In writing the original script, the ideas for the characters and plot began with the story of his grandparents, Justus Wellington and Anna Eliza Seely, who faced the choice of whether or not to come to the Castle Valley before their baby was born. Out of this emerged the story of Wink and Anna. The story of Joe and Tilda came from a book he had read telling of Joseph and Matilda Curtis Boulden, whose baby died when they were coming to the Valley. Two couples contributed to the story of the “wife who didn’t want to leave the comforts of Sanpete Valley”, John and Clara. These were Orange and Hannah Olsson Seely, and Niels Peter and Ellen Miller. From Miller came the line, “Has it come to this—that I have to live under the ground?” When Seely had finished what he “thought” was the Pageant script, he gave it to Sister Driggs, who after reading it responded, “Brother Seely, this is all good material, but there is no romance. Where is your love story?” As recorded in the book, he said, “There ain’t no romance. I don’t know any stories about that sort of thing. There was no romance in Castle Valley. It was all blood, sweat, and tears.” Seely tried to talk Sister Driggs out of putting romance in the script, but eventually while reading a history of Castle Valley, he found a sentence about John Jensen, who had “left his sweetheart in Fountain Green.” This eventually came to be the story of Abe, who wants to leave so he can get land in Castle Valley, and Neva, who refuses to give up her temple marriage to go with him. Initially the pageant was a story of two sets of pioneers, the pioneers who came because of a call from Brigham Young to settle the Castle Valley and other “modern-day pioneers” who arrived with the influx of people who came when power plants were built in the county. Eventually because of several reasons, including time constraints, this second part of the “modern-day pioneers” was cut. Later on, it was replaced by the addition of an Indian family being taught the gospel. This addition arose from two needs. One was for the pageant to be a “missionary tool”, so that it could be a church-sponsored pageant. The other came from a more personal need. Gary Magnuson, a friend of Seely’s, and a person who had experience with dramatic productions, told Seely that he needed to get rid of the teepee in the background of the set, because it served no purpose in the pageant. Seely revealed, “I loved to see that teepee there”; so emerged the story of Aub and Utahna. There were many revisions to the script early on in the pageant’s history. After many of these revisions, the script was prerecorded for performances. In the recording, Wink and Anna are played by Bart and Marilee Cox; John and Clara are played by Kirk and Julie Johansen; Joe and Tilda are played by Lee and Pam Jeffs; Abe and Neva are played by Ryan Johansen and Karla Seely; Aub and Utahna are played by Joe and Shirley Begay; and Neva’s Father and Mother, Rasmus and Gladys are played by Montell and Kathryn Seely. Many more changes occurred as the pageant progressed from year to year. This included funding for the pageant. Seely explained that the LDS church has a number of pageants that are Montell Seely and his son Mark and Mark’s two sons Jon and Matt at the pageant site. funded by the church. When the Castle Valley Pageant began, it wasn’t included on the list of those pageants, but was initially funded through local church funds. As the pageant increased in popularity, it eventually became “church recognized,” meaning it was on the list for publicity, but still wasn’t funded by the church. Eventually, in 1990, the church no longer provided approval for pageants to be funded locally, they had to be funded out of the General Tithing Fund, and the Castle Valley Pageant was crossed off of the list. Fortunately, later that year the decision was changed and the pageant was included on the list of pageants funded by the missionary department of the church. A letter to that effect was sent to Seely, who recalls, “that was one of the greatest letters I’ve ever received.” A flag ceremony celebrating the United States Military was added to the pageant in 1991, with the occurrence of the Gulf War. Each branch of the military is represented by a rider on a horse carrying the flag of each branch running “full tilt” through the front of the set while the corresponding theme song is played. This is now something that Seely is quite proud of. “I know I’m biased, but in my opinion we have the finest Attend the 2007 7 Miles Northwest of Castle Dale, UT (30 miles south of Price) Castle Valley Pageant July 31; Aug 1-2, 5-9 the Pioneer Village Nightly 6:30 - 8:15 P.M. Real Wagons & Buggies Original Music Excellent Lighting & Sound The Castle Valley Pageant portrays the trials, triumphs and tragedies of some of the first settlers to Castle Valley, as they were directed by President Brigham Young to homestead this area. The story tells of homesteaders encounters with Indians and their struggles to build canals, farms and homes in a harsh desert. Held on a hill overlooking scenic Emery County and surrounded by miles of breathtaking Castle Country, the pageant is an unforgettable experience you wont want to miss! For more information contact: Mark Justice (435) 687-2403 work or (435) 687-2234 home, or Montell Seely (435) 381-2195 www.castlevalleypageant.com flag ceremony in the United States. We decided to make it an integral part of the pageant. I’ve heard people exclaim, ‘It’s my favorite part!’” Seely writes. The Castle Valley Pageant continues its run this year, with performances July 31, and Aug. 1, 2 and 5-9. Recently, the church’s missionary department elected to have the pageant performed every other year, so after this year’s performance, the pageant will not be performed again until 2010. The Pageant President is Mark Justice, with Lee Jeffs and Kenn Christiansen as counselors. Ron Sanders, a long-time participant, is the pageant director. Before each performance the Pioneer Village will be open at the Pageant site for all visitors. The village is a great place for families to come and spend their evening sampling pioneer life as it was in Castle Valley during the late 1800’s. •Wagon Rides • Dutch Oven Cooking • Honey Candy • Spinning Wheel • Rug Making • Prairie Diamond Ring • Cow Milking • Bread & Honey Butter • Quilting • Ice Cream Making • Rag Hair Curls • Spinners & Puzzles • Bull Roping • Blacksmith Shop •Rope Making • Horse-shoeing Lamb Fry or Chicken Dinner Castle Dale Fairgrounds 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. EACH DAY GROuP RATES AVAILABLE Close to Recreation Areas: •Joe’s Valley Reservoir •Huntington Lake State Park •Cleveland Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry •Millsite Golf Course/ Millsite State Park Reservoir •The San Rafael Desert/ The Wedge Overlook •Museum of the San Rafael For camping information call Pam Jeffs (435) 381-2496 Emery County Fair Activities, including: Fair Exhibits & Activities, July 30th thru Aug. 2nd. Concession, Vendors, Fun Activities & Entertainment at the Fairgrounds Each Night Pageant Starts at 8:30 p.m. and last for about 1 1/2 hrs. Bus Stop Fair Grounds & Stake Center Parking Lots