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Children perform in the British Pageant in Nauvoo, Illinois.2023 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.The Nauvoo and British Pageants — two of only four remaining pageants produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — will be performed in Nauvoo, Illinois, from July 11 to August 5, 2023.
The two pageants, performed live on an outdoor stage by the same cast of volunteer Latter-day Saint individuals and families, highlight stories of the Saints’ joys and struggles in the early days of the Church in America and the British Isles.
“This pageant touches hearts right down to the little ones,” said Dalynne Grover, a volunteer in family support from Salt Lake City, Utah, about the Nauvoo Pageant. “It’s a reminder that we can do hard things, just as [the early Saints] did, with faith in every footstep.”
Because live performances were postponed in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID, and the Church simultaneously discontinued other pageants like the Hill Cumorah pageant, “many people are surprised to learn that these two pageants are continuing, along with many additional activities in Nauvoo,” said Alan Gudmundson, the pageant president.
Performances in Nauvoo this summer will be every Tuesday through Friday, with the two pageants alternating on the same stage each evening, beginning at 8:45 p.m. The Nauvoo pageant is Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The British pageant is on Wednesday and Friday. For more information, see https://www.nauvoopageant.org/
UK British Pageant Live-Streamed
This year, the British Pageant is also being performed in Chorley, UK, on August 2-5, and 8-14. Additional matinee performances will be on August 4, 5, 11, and 12. The performance on Friday, August 11, will be live-streamed. Learn more.
Nauvoo Pageant
The Nauvoo Pageant will be performed live every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from July 5-31, 2022. 2023 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.Nauvoo Pageant: ‘A Tribute to Joseph Smith’
The Nauvoo Pageant, “A Tribute to Joseph Smith,” was commissioned in 2004 under the direction and supervision of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to commemorate the 200th birthday of the Prophet Joseph Smith in 2005.
Narrated by the character Parley P. Pratt, it emphasizes the joy of the early Latter-day Saints as they learned to live the gospel of Jesus Christ through their faith, sacrifice and courage. As they followed a prophet and built a temple, they showed how the restored gospel blesses the lives of families, meets their spiritual needs, invites them to make sacred covenants and helps them fulfill their deepest desires.
British Pageant: “Truth Will Prevail”
The British Pageant, “Truth Will Prevail,” narrated by a character named Arthur Ashton, tells the history of early converts to the Church in the British Isles, depicting the struggles and triumphs of the British Saints. The devotion and sacrifice of 19th-century British Church members, as well as their faith in Jesus Christ, helped make possible the flourishing religious community that later was established in Nauvoo.
Nauvoo-family-cast
Families participate in the British Pageant in Nauvoo, Illinois. The British Pageant will be performed live every Wednesday and Friday from July 5-31, 2022. 2023 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
Pre-Show Activities
Beginning at 7 p.m. each evening of the pageant, guests can enjoy 1840s-style pre-show activities, hosted by family cast members dressed in period costumes. Activities include:
- Arm wrestling
- Children’s crafts
- Children’s games
- A cousins’ tent (search to see how you are related to historic characters portrayed in the pageant)
- Hoops and Graces
- Handcart pulls
- Highland Fling Dance
- Log sawing
- Making rag rugs
- Parlor games
- Puppet show
- Quilting
- Round dancing
- Sack races
- Stickball
- Stick pull
- Stilts
- Tug-of-war
- Wood branding
