‘Spirit of Freedom’ pageant makes headway

MANTI — A musical pageant inspired by themes of religious freedom and early American history is taking shape in Sanpete County, driven by one resident’s passion to reawaken civic pride and bring visitors back to the region.

Dubbed the “Spirit of Freedom Pageant,” the production is designed fill the void left by discontinuation of the Mormon Miracle Pageant, while forging its own identity as a nondenominational, family-friendly production centered on the life of 17th-Century clergyman, the Rev. John Lothrop.

The pageant is the brainchild of Manti resident and software developer Ned Armstrong, who first conceived the idea during a Thanksgiving gathering in 2022.

Armstrong says he was troubled by Manti’s declining tourism and the closure of several local businesses. In an interview, he recalled how the conversation over Thanksgiving dinner at his mother-in-law’s home in Ogden turned toward revitalizing the Manti community—and settled, unexpectedly, on the notion of creating a brand-new pageant.

“My mother-in-law suggested a new pageant based on freedom and the Constitution,” Armstrong said. “She said, ‘Not associated with the LDS Church—something for everyone.’ I felt a rush of excitement right away. We started brainstorming how to make it real.”

Soon after, Armstrong and other local residents began to meet to shape the concept, which initially revolved around patriotic themes of the Constitution and America’s founding fathers.

However, the vision quickly evolved into a more focused story of faith and devotion. Armstrong said several attempts to enlist professional writers fell through, pushing him to start composing music for the show himself and search for fresh subject matter that would resonate beyond denominational lines.

That search led him to the historical figure of the Rev. John Lothrop (sometimes spelled “Lathrop” in some genealogical records). Lothrop was an English minister who defied the Church of England, spent time in prison for his beliefs, and immigrated to North America in the early 17th Century.

Though not a Latter-day Saint, Lothrop holds significance for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a direct ancestor of Joseph Smith. Armstrong said he was unaware of that connection until after he began writing songs inspired by Lothrop’s life.

“I kept writing this song about a pastor in England who risked everything for religious liberty,” Armstrong said. “Someone in our Facebook group pointed me to a man named Rev.  John Lothrop.

“I later learned he was Joseph Smith’s fifth great-grandfather, and that sealed the deal for me. His story felt like the right choice. Almost like a prequel even to the Mormon Miracle Pageant, although Lothrop was of independent religion, since the LDS Church did not exist yet.”

A pivotal turning point came when Armstrong reached out to Helene Holt of Mt. Pleasant, who had written a biography of Lothrop titled “Exiled” as well as a screenplay adapted from the book, which was perfect for the pageant. Her husband, Tom Brooks, had even written songs for the screenplay and gave permission to use them.

Armstrong collaborated with local writer and teacher Kory Howard to fuse these materials into a cohesive two-hour musical script. Further professional edits and historical clarifications were overseen by historian and author Ora Smith of Mesa, Ariz.

Now the pageant stands on the brink of realization, boasting a 117-page script with 12 original songs. Even more were written but ultimately cut for length. To arrange the musical score, Armstrong acquired a new skill—using a notation software called MuseScore to layer flutes, violins, cellos and other instruments.

Recording sessions have already produced several tracks with local vocalists, including a high school choir director, professional singers and even a Canadian competitor on the national vocal circuit.

Yet, Armstrong is quick to note that the largest hurdle is funding. The Mormon Miracle Pageant was backed by the LDS Church, but the Spirit of Freedom Pageant has no such institutional patron. Armstrong hopes to raise enough money to stage the production at the Sanpete County Fairgrounds—only a short distance from where the former pageant took place. And he hopes to replicate some of the spectacle that once drew crowds to Manti.

“We plan to launch a GiveSendGo campaign,” Armstrong said. “We’ll release a professional video trailer to show people what we’re doing. Then, hopefully, enough donations come in so we can afford lighting, sound equipment, costumes and all the other expenses that come with producing a live musical on a large stage.”

To create that trailer, Armstrong enlisted local filmmaker Steve Sorensen, who spent multiple sessions capturing scenes and songs with a partial cast. The footage will be edited into a short video highlighting the production’s central storyline—Lothrop’s prison ordeals and eventual journey to the New World. If donations arrive in time, Armstrong hopes to premiere the pageant in June.

The show’s final scene, Armstrong says, will evoke the finale of the Mormon Miracle Pageant with a massive angel choir. In the script, Lothrop’s infant daughter—who died at age 1—serves as the narrator from “the other side of the veil.”

Armstrong envisions volunteer performers dressed in simple white robes flowing into the fairgrounds to join in a climactic song, symbolizing the faith Lothrop helped cultivate centuries ago. He hopes audience members will even bring their own white robes some nights and step out of the bleachers to sing along.

It is a lofty vision for a project still seeking material and human resources. The group behind the pageant, a registered nonprofit called Freedom Through Christ, welcomes donations of time, talents or funding.

Needs include period costumes, furniture, lighting rigs and microphones, along with volunteers such as seamstresses and carpenters.

“We can’t do it alone,” he said. “We need help from the community and from sponsors who believe in what this could mean for Manti. Even if folks can’t donate big money, they might have supplies or expertise to share. Others can simply help spread the word.”

Part of his motivation is to reignite the sense of identity the town had every summer when visitors converged at the foot of the Manti Temple. Though the new production is not affiliated with the LDS Church, Armstrong is convinced the pageant will appeal to a broad swath of believers and visitors in search of a faith-based, historical performance.

“This is a nondenominational, Christ-centered project,” he said.

While Armstrong hopes for a grand opening performance as soon as June, he acknowledges that without adequate funds, the full-scale launch could be delayed until 2026 or 2027. Still, he remains committed to pressing forward.

“The way things fell into place convinces me we’re on the right track,” he said. “We’ve had volunteer writers, editors, historians, composers—people who just showed up at the exact moment we needed them. If we keep moving forward, I have faith it will come together.”

For now, the best way for prospective supporters to help is by visiting the pageant website at www.spiritoffreedompageant.com. Visitors to the site can find background information, learn more about volunteer opportunities and contribute to the Freedom Through Christ nonprofit.

Additional updates, including calls for costumes or volunteers, appear regularly on the “Manti’s Spirit of Freedom Pageant” Facebook group, which hovers at about 600 members.

If the video trailer debuts on schedule, Armstrong plans to share it widely on social media and encourage viewers to pass it along.

In the end, Armstrong hopes to see hundreds of people singing beneath Utah’s summer sky, concluding a story that began with a humble English minister centuries ago.

The production, he says, stands as a testament to faith, perseverance and the unity that can emerge in even a small, rural community.

Whether that unity results in a single performance this year or a broader run in the future remains uncertain. But for Armstrong, the steady march of progress—and the community’s growing enthusiasm—offer hopeful signs that the Spirit of Freedom Pageant may soon shine as a beacon of revival in Manti.