Hold still — if you can, you might be perfect for cast of Pageant of the Masters

Can you hold completely still for 90 seconds?

That and very specific body measurements are what it takes to become a cast member for this year’s Pageant of the Masters show, “Made in America.”

Over the weekend, volunteers tried out at the Festival of Arts grounds in Laguna Beach for parts in the tableaux vivants — the living pictures.

Casting for the pageant is heavily determined by body measurement, to ensure each cast member matches the scale of the figure in the tableaux.

The show, which runs July 8 through Sept. 3, uses men, women and children age 4 and older to re-create famed living pictures. This summer, show director Diane Challis Davy will focus on artists who lived in America and were inspired by freedoms upon which the country was founded.

This is Challis Davy’s 25th season as the show’s director.

“In 1976, Don Williamson introduced the idea of themed Pageants with a tribute to this nation’s bicentennial,” said Challis Davy. “Twenty years later, in 1996, my first production as director, I devoted a large portion of it to American artists. Now, thanks to advances in digital imagery and video projection, I thought we should revisit the theme and bring to it not only many new artworks but also a whole new arsenal of dramatic and immersive theatrical effects.”

N.C. Wyeth, Winslow Homer, Mary Cassatt, Norman Rockwell, Daniel Chester French, Luis Jimenez and John Nieto are among the American artists whose work will be recreated.

For some cast hopefuls, the audition will be their first. For others, trying out for the show is an annual tradition. About 40% of cast members have been in the show before.

Mackynzie Miller, of Laguna Hills, has been part of the show most of her life. Recently, she was presented with a Lifetime Membership Award for her 15-year dedication as a pageant volunteer. She is the youngest person in the organization’s history to receive the honor.

Miller was 7 when she landed the part of a princess in “Las Meninas” by Diego Velazquez. After that, she was hooked.

“It’s turned into a family tradition,” said Miller, now 24 and an art history major at Cal State San Marcos. “My parents started doing it when they were dating and they kept doing it.”

Miller’s sister Taylee, now 21, also was introduced to the pageant as a child. “Everyone there becomes a big family,” Miller said. “I joke with my sister that we have pageant aunts and uncles.”

Though everyone who auditions might not fit perfectly into the artwork, there are behind-the-scenes roles such as volunteering with hair or makeup, or on stage, assisting with the set.

There are also opportunities to be a substitute — appearing onstage only occasionally.

Those who are cast will be called in during the spring for a costume fitting and initial placement in the set. The tableaux will then be practiced during weekly rehearsals before the final rehearsals in June.

“It’s very important that everyone involved knows how much we appreciate their dedication,” said Challis Day.

Volunteer benefits include complimentary tickets, a cast party in September and credit for volunteer service hours for high school students.