The Ramona Pageant

The Ramona Pageant
Ramona Pageant in 1950
Written by	Garnet Holme
Date premiered	April 13, 1923
Place premiered	Hemet, California
Original language	English
Subject	Ramona
Genre	Drama/Comedy
Setting	1850 California

The Ramona Outdoor Play, formerly known as (and still commonly called) the Ramona Pageant, is an outdoor play staged annually at Hemet, California since 1923. The script was adapted by Garnet Holme from the 1884 novel Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson. It is held over three consecutive weekends in April and May in the Ramona Bowl, a natural amphitheater in the foothills above Hemet in Riverside County. The production features a cast of more than 300, made up largely of local residents and amateur actors. In the past such professional actors as Jean Inness, Raquel Welch, Anne Archer, Karen Grant Thomas (daughter of actress Betta St. John), Onslow Stevens, Jeffrey Meek, Victor Jory, Henry Brandon, Jeff Griggs (Days of Our Lives), Brent Howard, Brian A. Smith and Maurice Jara (Giant, The Flying Leathernecks) have portrayed the romantic leading roles of Ramona and her Indian lover Alessandro. The Ramona Pageant is the longest running outdoor play in the United States and is the official California State Outdoor Play.

Ramona – Dorise Schukow
Alessandro – Bruce Botteler
Senora – Adelaide Clarke
Felipe – Karyl Marker
Juan Canito – Ed Poorman
Marda –
Father Salvierderra – Frank Felt
Luigo –
Margarita –
Aunt Ri –
Joe –
Father Gaspara –
Yesidro –
Jim Farrar –