The Mormon Miracle Pageant is run by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is held near the Manti Temple in Utah. It begins by depicting the events in the Book of Mormon when Christ came to visit the people of the New World. It then skips forward to the 1800’s and tells the story of Joseph Smith’s First Vision, how he became aware of the Book of Mormon, the translation of the Book of Mormon and continues to follow his life until his death. The story then follows the Saints as they move to the West and ends with the story of a fictional couple who find the Church and the blessings of the gospel. The cast consists of over eight hundred volunteers.
The Mormon Miracle Pageant had its beginnings in 1967, when a small crowd gathered to watch the first pageant. It was a small production with 25 local musicians providing the music and just a few actors. Although the first production was nothing like today’s pageant, those who saw it were impressed and more people wanted to get involved. A committee was organized to help raise funds for the pageant. The next year the pageant was moved onto the temple grounds with permission from the temple president and has remained in this area since. The pageant is now one of the largest and most attended pageants in the United States.
The pageant is usually performed in June and runs for eight nights. The pageant provides 14,000 seats and the area is open for seating beginning at 6:00. The pageant starts at about 9:30 and lasts about ninety minutes. Admission is free.