Another Witness

by Don LeFevre

There’s more to this pageant than pageantry.

It’s a pleasantly cool Monday morning. The six yellow buses rumble down Route 21 from the nearby Hobart & William Smith College dormitories. They pull off the road into the gravel parking lot. The bus doors open and a stream of excited young people floods into the tree-shrouded shelter on the west slope of the historic hill.

Nestled amidst the lush green fields and rolling hills of the scenic Finger Lakes region of western New York, the Hill Cumorah is particularly beautiful this July morning. The air is clean and crisp. The blue sky overhead is punctuated with billowy white clouds. Birds are singing in the dew-covered trees. And the enthusiasm of the newly arrived members of the Hill Cumorah Pageant cast meshes nicely with the kind of day it is.

But Aaron Moore doesn’t especially want to be here. Aaron, a sandy-haired 15-year-old from Silver Spring, Maryland, is in the cast because his family has voted by majority rule to participate as part of their summer vacation. “This is no vacation,” Aaron says as he laments over having to leave at home his brand-new pup, a combination Doberman-husky-German shepherd named Spike. “He misses Spike something awful,” says his 16-year-old sister, Kiersten.

Aaron would rather be home getting to know his new pup and doing other things that young boys like to do during summer vacations from school. But he knows the rest of the family wants to be here, so he bravely goes along.

Seventeen-year-old Kim Sherwood of Victor, New York, is delighted to be among those gathered in the study shelter as they get the day under way by singing “Oh, How Lovely Was the Morning.” Equally enthused are her three teenage sisters, Kris, Kari, and Koni, 14, 13, and 12, respectively, and virtually every other member of the cast of more than 500 from 22 states, Mexico, and Canada.

“I’m so excited. I’d rather be here right now than any other place,” Kim says. “I’m looking forward to meeting new friends, having new experiences, telling people about the Book of Mormon, and strengthening my testimony.”

The entire Sherwood family is here. Even Mom and the smaller children join with the other family members in a special prologue to the pageant, a salute to Rochester, marking the city’s sesquicentennial. The Sherwoods number 11. Father Bill likes to tell folks he has “three and a half-dozen children—three boys and a half-dozen girls.”

The Sherwoods and virtually everyone else are enthusiastic about the two weeks that lie ahead. Everyone but Aaron.

Pageant director Jack Sederholm and his aides conduct auditions, and right away things change a bit for Aaron. He’s selected for one of the more critical roles in the pageant. He’s one of the band of robbers that attacks Ammon while he’s tending the herds of Lamanite King Lamoni. Aaron and the other robbers get to have sword fights with Ammon.

“As long as I’m here, I’m sure glad I got this role,” he says. “Sure, I have to lose the fight to Ammon, but it’s fun and there’s lots of activity, lots of rehearsals, and I’ll keep real busy. That way the time will go by quickly, and I’ll soon be able to get back to my dog.”

In addition to the Salute-to-Rochester scene, Kim Sherwood is assigned to the “Yearning Scene” and the “Flag Scene.” She’s delighted. Everyone has an assigned companion, and she and Holly Phippen, of Roanoke, Virginia, immediately hit it off and become fast friends.

A writer interviewing Kim asks her if she would like a major role in the pageant instead of being assigned to “crowd scenes.”

“Sure,” she says, “that would be great, but there just aren’t that many female characters in the Book of Mormon.”

“Have you ever thought about the possibility of playing the role of Mary in Nephi’s vision of the Nativity Scene?” she is asked.

“That would be wonderful,” she responds. “Any of the girls here would be honored, but that’s not up to me. There are hundreds of young girls here for the pageant, and I think the Lord and the pageant director might have something to say about who gets that role.”

Most of the major roles are quickly assigned, including Lehi, Nephi, Moroni, King Benjamin, Abinadi, King Noah, King Lamoni, the Savior (in Nephi’s vision), Joseph Smith, and others. There are only four days until dress rehearsal, and then there will be seven “for real” performances before a cumulative total of more than 100,000 people.

Director Sederholm and pageant manager Jack Dawson counsel the cast members. Some of the “thou shalt nots” include: “Don’t fast. You need your strength for the arduous physical demands of the schedule. Don’t jog or run while you’re here. We don’t want any injuries or accidents. Don’t stray. Stay with your companion, study group, and/or rehearsal group at all times.”

Dr. Sederholm, in his seventh year at the helm of “America’s Witness for Christ,” agrees with Aaron Moore’s assessment of the pageant.

“He’s right. Pageant is not a vacation. It is not a youth conference. It is not camp. It is something wholly different.

“Here the young people are learning to give of themselves. They can come here and learn how to serve their Heavenly Father and their fellowmen,” he says.

“But, in so doing, they can gain the Spirit and increase their individual testimonies,” he adds. “So you really benefit personally by serving others. You work hard, you study hard, you rehearse hard, and you have a terrific overall experience.

“For those who apply themselves, Pageant is virtually a spiritual Disneyland.”

Kim Sherwood describes a typical day during her first week: “We get up early and study the scriptures. After breakfast, we go to the hill in time for a 9 A.M. devotional in the study grove. After a devotional talk and instructions from Brother Dawson and Brother Sederholm, we break up into study groups or rehearsal groups. In the study group we study gospel principles and learn our suggested dialogue for proselyting in the audience prior to performances.

“After sack lunches prepared at the hill, we assemble in the study shelter again before breaking up for rehearsal or study group activities. After dinner, served at the hill, it’s back for another devotional, critiques of our rehearsals by Dr. Sederholm, and then an evening of more study group activities and more rehearsals. We usually leave the hill for our quarters at 10 P.M., but sometimes later, depending on how well the rehearsals are going.”

That’s a rigorous schedule. But somehow the enthusiasm doesn’t flag. On the contrary, the flow of the adrenalin seems to increase as opening night nears.

“Dr. Sederholm tells us the most important thing we will be doing during these two weeks is telling the public about the Book of Mormon,” Kim says. “We really are missionaries, and you can’t help but get enthusiastic about such an important challenge and such important work.”

Aaron and his companion, 15-year-old Ben Reed of Fairfield, Ohio, aren’t spending as much time in study group as Kim and the other girls. When they’re not in devotionals, they’re generally on the hill, where assistant directors Lund Johnson and Walter Boyden are putting them and the other major characters through their paces. Aaron, the robber, is becoming more proficient in losing his sword fight with Ammon, and Ben is practicing his jumping moves as one of several “dancers” in the court of the pagan Lamanite King Lamoni prior to his conversion.

The swords used in the Ammon battle are heavy metal, and the combatants simply clang blades together as they spar for a few seconds before Ammon emerges victorious. Sometimes the clanging gets a little too close to the fingers, Aaron says, but he manages to escape accidental injury, a fate one of his fellow robbers falls victim to and heads for the dispensary in the trees where a volunteer nurse awaits with first-aid treatment.

After a workout on the hill, Aaron is breathing hard. It’s hot and it’s humid. The perspiration glistens on his forehead. But he’s smiling. There’s a noticeable improvement in his attitude.

“Well, I have to admit I’m enjoying it a little,” he says. “I’m making new friends. It’s kind of exciting to think about opening night. But I still miss my dog.”

Three days into rehearsal, assistant director Virginia Schmidt reminds Dr. Sederholm that he has yet to choose someone to play the role of Mary. Mary has no dialogue. No movement. She simply sits and holds the baby Jesus in the Nativity Scene.

“But the role is among the more significant in the pageant,” Sister Schmidt says. “Mary is the mother of the Savior. She must have dignity. She must be pleasant looking. She must have a particular spirit about her. We look for someone with that special look and that special spirit.”

Sister Schmidt and Dr. Sederholm review the older girls in the cast. All are worthy candidates, they agree, but then their eyes fall on a brown-haired 17-year-old from Victor.

“That’s Mary!” the directors agree, and moments later a thrilled Kim Sherwood is excitedly telling her parents about the special honor that has come her way.

“How do I feel? It’s hard to describe. It’s so exciting, so flattering, and yet so challenging. I consider it a privilege and a blessing to be chosen, and I just hope that I can portray it the way the Lord wants me to. I pray that I can touch people in some small way.”

The evening of dress rehearsal arrives. Everyone is in costume. Reporters are here interviewing, taking pictures, and videotaping for the nightly news. Cast members are taking photos of the costumes, some more colorful than others.

“Aaron doesn’t really like his costume,” his mother confides, “but he won’t complain about it. He likes the role but not the costume.”

“King Lamoni” loves his costume as he parades peacock-like before the clicking cameras, proudly showing off the feathery plumes of his robe and headdress. A good time is had by all and soon it is dark, they’re on the hill, and the dress rehearsal is history.

Finally, it’s opening night. Thousands of people stream to the hill, many of them setting up their seats early in the day. Dr. Sederholm gathers the cast early in the evening before they go out to mingle with the audience and attempt to teach the nonmembers before curtain time approaches and they have to get in their costumes.

“Well, we’re here,” he says. “We launched ourselves a short six days ago. We crossed the bar of the harbor. We dug in our oars. We got out past the currents. We put up our sails. The wind caught them and piloted us and blew us safely to this shore. I guarantee to you the natives are friendly. They will accept you. God bless you.”

Night after night the show goes on. Aaron Moore fights his perpetual losing battle with Ammon, Kim Sherwood maintains a regal presence in the Nativity Scene, and thousands receive the message of the Book of Mormon and the restored gospel.

Day after day, the cast members refine their performances and hone their skills in proselyting visitors. They approach the proselyting assignment with such fervor that one of them even poses the golden questions to an unrecognized General Authority, Elder Rex C. Reeve, Jr., a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy and area president for the northeast United States.

During their second week at the hill, the cast members stage a variety show in downtown Palmyra for the entertainment of the village folk. Pageant manager Jack Dawson and his wife, Patricia, talented performers in their own right, arrange for a show at the Palmyra Park. Cindy Jo Child of Clinton, Utah, gets the audience clapping and tapping their toes with her bluegrass fiddle medley. Patrick Starrs of Union, Maine, plays the bagpipes like a native Scot, which he is. Judy Garff and daughter Loriann, of Gooding, Idaho, sing a rousing medley from “Annie Get Your Gun.” And the Cook Family Singers from Spring, Texas, wow ’em with a lively rendition of “The Genealogy Song.” There are lots of other numbers by equally talented performers, and the village people thoroughly enjoy the show.

On pageant performance days the cast members visit the various historic sites in the area, and those 16 and over also have an opportunity to serve as daytime hosts at those sites. Thousands of visitors, Mormon and non-Mormon alike, flood into the area during the week to see the Sacred Grove, the Joseph Smith home, the Grandin Print Shop, the Martin Harris home, the Peter Whitmer home, as well as the Hill Cumorah and the pageant itself.

“It’s hard for me to talk to other people about the Church,” Kim says, “but the more I do it the easier it becomes. And when someone shows an interest and fills out a referral card and wants to receive a copy of the Book of Mormon, it’s so exciting, so rewarding.”

Testimony meetings are held in the Sacred Grove, and each cast member who wishes has the opportunity to express his or her feelings about the Lord, the Church, the pageant, the experience they’re having. Most of them do so, and the results are moving.

“The testimonies in the Sacred Grove are touching,” Kim says. “It’s such a sacred place and the spirit and the feelings are so good there. It’s an opportunity not many young people in the Church have, and one I’ll always remember.”

Finally, it’s Saturday night of the second week—time for the final performance. The same enthusiasm that has prevailed for two weeks is still there, but somehow it’s different. Everyone realizes that after this one, it’s all over. That’s it.

The show goes on. Once again the audience is impressed by the dazzling lights, the sound, the music, the story. Many are moved by the message. As the final scene fades, the “house lights” go on, and the crowd begins working its way to the parking lots. But “back stage”—back in the trees on the hill—no one is in a hurry to leave. There are hugs and handshakes, tears of joy at having had the experience, and tears of sorrow at the knowledge that it’s over. The cast assembles and sings the inevitable “God Be with You Till We Meet Again,” and the tears flow even more freely. Kim Sherwood and Holly Phippen, friends forever, say good-bye, as do countless others who have formed similar lasting bonds of friendship.

“I guess I enjoyed it more than I thought I would,” a changed Aaron Moore admits. “It’s kind of a funny feeling to have it over. I already feel a little lonely. Everybody here has the same goals. There’s such a good spirit. I’ve made so many friends and had some experiences I never could have had back home. Yeah, I guess I’d like to come back and do it again.”

“He’ll be back,” chimes in kid sister Katie, 13. “Mom’s already filled out the application form for next year.”

Photos by Michael McConkie

Each morning six yellow buses roll in and off-load still-sleepy cast and crew members for what seems like life in a whirlwind. The fast-paced first week teaches everyone that before the thrill of performance, there must be the routine of auditions, rehearsals, building, and planning.

Sometime during the preparation, something wonderful starts to happen. The young people realize that this isn’t a youth conference or a camp or a vacation. It’s a place where you learn to give of yourself, to serve God, and to serve your fellowman.

Good kings, bad kings, prophets, priests, and heroes parade through the history played out on Cumorah’s slopes. Even stage hands working smoke machines have a part in portraying ancient America as a land that knew of Christ, talked of Christ, and anxiously awaited his coming.

Sharing is what Pageant is all about. Sharing stories from the scriptures. Sharing visits to Church history sites. Sharing testimonies of the gospel.

Cumorah is remembered, not only for what happened here long ago, but also for what people learn here today. All around the hill modern voices blend their witness with that of voices from the dust.