Mesa Easter pageant
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MESA, Ariz. — In its 66th year, the Mesa Arizona Easter Pageant, "Jesus the Christ," shared the biblical story of the Savior with more than 100,000 people and touched the hearts of countless numbers of those in attendance.
"People come here from all over," said President Nigel Wappett, of the Arizona Mesa Mission. "You just never know what is going to impress upon them. The Spirit is strong and makes them much more receptive. Most are touched by (the pageant's) profound message; it is in such stark contrast to everything else around them."
Through narration, costume, music and dance the 65-minute production, which is presented each year on the grounds of the Mesa Arizona Temple, commemorates the birth, teachings, Atonement, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Don W. Hobbs, pageant producer, said the event is a wonderful missionary tool. "It's an excellent opportunity for members to introduce friends and neighbors to the Church and the mission of the Savior."
Each year attendance at the pageant, which has long become an Easter tradition and community celebration, continues to grow. This year, to accommodate the ever-increasing crowds, the public was invited to dress rehearsal on March 31, which included English and Spanish presentations. On the next three nights, the pageant was presented in Spanish. It was presented in English five nights during the following week.
"Our audience has grown each year to the point that it was getting difficult to accommodate all the guests who generally attend on the weekends," said Brother Hobbs.
"Therefore, to encourage more attendance during the week, we decided to open the dress rehearsal to the public, which offered an additional Spanish-language performance." This allowed more people to "see this truly magnificent event."
Each night 60 to 80 full-time missionaries served as ushers. This year they received more than 2,000 referrals from people wanting to learn more. "We do know that many people join the Church each year as a result of the pageant," said President Wappett.
He pointed out the conversion story of an investigator last year and said that his story is representative of many people. Last spring 30-year-old Nasser Mansour was meeting with the missionaries to learn about the gospel when he saw the Mesa Easter Pageant for the first time.
"I felt like they had brought me there to experience what it was like 2,000 years ago," he said. He recalls being fixated upon the actor portraying Christ and when the performance ended he knew through the feelings of the Spirit that the gospel was true and he was soon baptized.
This Easter season, Brother Mansour of the Gilbert Arizona Stapley Stake became a part of that which had touched him so deeply. He auditioned for the cast of the pageant and was asked to portray one of Jesus' apostles. "It was a great experience," he said. "It strengthened my testimony so much because I lived it; I experienced it. It made everything stronger inside for me."
