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rob franklin fox
Theater Under the Stars OUTDOOR HISTORICAL DRAMAS
Canyon, Tex. The story highlights the
of Pound Gap provides the perfect
deliver artistic entertainment and pro-
early struggles between cowboys and
backdrop for the bittersweet story of a
vide cultural tourists a unique opportu-
ranchers in the Texas panhandle.
country divided.
nity to experience local heritage.
Green’s Trumpet In The Land in New
Through music, dance, costumes, folk-
Philadelphia, Ohio, dramatizes the
formed all over the country: Honey In
lore and more, the live performances
conflicts that erupted on the Ohio
The Rock and Hatfields and McCoys
offer vacationers a taste of regional fla-
frontier during the Revolutionary War.
vor. With such great group discounts
Outdoor historical dramas are per-
in Beckley, W.V.; Laura’s Memories in Mansfield, Mo; The Miracle Worker in
being offered this summer, these desti-
WORLD PREMIERE
Tuscumbia, Ala; The Old Homestead
nation theaters are looking especially
The driving force in the creation of
in Swanzey, N.H.; Tecumseh! in Chilli-
these historical presentations is a com-
cothe, Ohio, and Viva El Paso! in El
munity’s overwhelming desire to tell its
Paso, Tex.
attractive to the group travel planner. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paul Green is credited with fathering America’s outdoor drama movement. Green’s The Lost Colony, the story of the first English settlement in America, opened in Manteo, N.C., in the summer of 1937. Originally conceived to
Outdoor historical dramas reflect a community’s desire to tell its story.
be a one-year celebration of the birth of Virginia Dare, the first English child
story. That is certainly the case for this
in the New World, the play proved so
summer’s most anticipated new out-
olina have to best opportunity to take
popular that it has been running ever
door drama. The world premiere of
in an outdoor drama. Besides The Lost
since.
However, travelers to North Car-
Lincoln by Ken Jones is being pro-
Colony, theater goers can enjoy From
duced at Lincoln State Park in South-
This Day Forward in Valdese, Horn In
is that they are site-specific. Most are
ern Indiana on the very grounds where
The West in Boone, Miracle on the
performed on or near the actual site of
Abraham Lincoln grew up. Performed
Mountain in Crossnore, Tom Dooley:
the events portrayed in the play. For
in the park’s 1,500-seat, roofed am-
A Wilkes County Legend and Moon-
example, The Lost Colony’s Waterside
phitheater, Jones’s script promises to
shine and Thunder: The Junior John-
Theatre is on the grounds of the Na-
leave audiences with a deep under-
son Story in North Wilkesboro,
tional Park Service’s Fort Raleigh Na-
standing of the role Indiana played in
Pathway To Freedom and The Sword
tional Historic Site, the very place of
forging the character of America’s 16th
Of Peace in Snow Camp, and Unto
that first British colony.
president.
These Hills in Cherokee.
What makes these dramas so special
Three more of Green’s symphonic
This summer also brings the long-
dramas are performed annually in such
awaited revival of The
site-specific amphitheaters. In My Old
Little Shepherd of King-
Kentucky Home State Park in Bard-
dom Come, based on
stown, Ky., Stephen Foster: The Musi-
the Civil War novel by
cal brings alive the music of America’s
John Fox, Jr., in Letcher
first great composer. TEXAS! Musical
County, Kentucky. A
Drama is staged in the breathtaking
new amphitheater built
Palo Duro Canyon State Park near
at the site of the Battle
16 April 2009
Outdoor dramas also serve as a Rob Franklin Fox is the director of the Institute of Outdoor Drama (IOD), a public service agency at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The IOD serves as a national clearinghouse for over 100 outdoor dramas nationwide. Contact: 919-962-1328, unc.edu/depts/outdoor. LeisureGroupTravel.com