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Belton, Texas – On Wednesday, April 17, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor hosted its 80th
annual Easter Pageant. Despite poor weather in the morning, all three performances were held before capacity audiences.
University President Randy O’Rear opened the year’s final performance by celebrating pageant director Katie Aday and the rest of the cast and crew.
Forecasts leading up to Wednesday predicted rain and storms that could have threatened one or more of the day’s performances. Fortunately, after a brief delay that moved the 12:30 p.m. performance to 12:40, the weather proved entirely cooperative.
“I have to tell you, at about 12:10 [p.m.], I was sitting in the Bawcom Student Union, and it was pouring down rain outside. At 12:19 [p.m.] the sun was shining as if it had never rained today,” O’Rear said. “There’s only one way to explain that, and I think you know what it is.”
This year, the role of Jesus was played by Joey Mainini, while Savannah Sepulveda portrayed His mother, Mary.
The three pageant performances attracted a combined live audience of roughly 6,000 people. Live streams of the event were shared more than 250 times on Facebook and seen by more than 10,000 people. While most of those online viewers were from Texas, nearly 10% came from 19 other states and as far away as Ukraine.
For those unable to view the Easter Pageant live, the performances are still available on the UMHB Facebook page and at umhb.edu/live.
More than 300 UMHB students participated in the planning and production of the pageant, which chronicles moments from the Gospel story, including Christ’s triumphal entrance into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, and Christ’s trial by Pontius Pilate, crucifixion, death, and resurrection.
The tradition of the annual Easter Pageant at UMHB began in 1940 when it was held during the afternoon on Easter Day. At that time, Mary Hardin-Baylor was an all-female campus, so all of the roles were played by women. Over time, the production expanded to include male students and additional performances during the day.
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