Title supplied by cataloger. The religious-themed Pilgrimage Play, written by Christine Whetherill Stevenson, was performed every summer between 1920 to 1941. In 1931, a new amphitheater, made of cast concrete, was erected to resemble the ancient architecture of the Holy Land for the purposes of the play performed there. During WWII, the theater was deeded to Los Angeles County and converted into dormitories for servicemen. After the war, the play resumed until 1964, at which time it was legally ordered to close due to its religious content. In the early 1970s, the amphitheater was renamed after John Anson Ford, in honor of his dedicated and successful campaign to revive the facility. Photograph caption dated July 6, 1940 reads, "This behind-the-scenes photo shows the dress rehearsal for the Pilgrimage Play, which opens its seventeenth annual season tomorrow night in the Highland Avenue outdoor theater. Nelson Leigh as Jesus is shown on hill at left."
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;29 x 36 cm. Photographic prints
Leigh, Nelson,--1914-1967 Jesus Christ--Drama Pilgrimage Theatre (Hollywood, Los Angeles, Calif.) Apostles--Drama Actors--United States Costumes Religious drama Theaters--California--Hollywood (Los Angeles) Theater--California--Los Angeles Amphitheaters--California--Hollywood (Los Angeles) Mountains--California, Southern Hollywood Hills (Los Angeles, Calif.) Santa Monica Mountains (Calif.) Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.) Night photographs Los Angeles Evening Herald and Express photographs Herald-Examiner Collection photographs
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