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Summer Dramas Tell
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Swashbuckling swordplay, authentic Native American culture and a renewed interest in the family vacation bring an art form born in North Carolina new fans this summer as the outdoor drama season heats up. |
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The Institute for Outdoor Drama, a one-of-a-kind public service agency of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, helps groups around the country mount over 100 productions. Its success is greatest close to home: the first three outdoor dramas ever staged in the U.S. are found in the state. The Lost Colony Celebrates 71th season |
Amistad in RaleighThe African American Cultural Complex in Raleigh presents the powerful "Amistad Saga: Reflections" each summer. Recounting the mutiny aboard a slave ship in 1839, it is the only outdoor drama written, produced and directed by African Americans in the United States. Tom Dooley in Wilkes County"Tom Dooley-A Wilkes County Legend" enjoys a summer run at a new amphitheater at Fort Hamby, near the W. Kerr Scott Reservoir just outside Wilkesboro. It's been playing to sell-out crowds indoors at Benton Hall in North Wilkesboro for several years. This fall the same company, the Wilkes County Playmakers, will present "Moonshine and Thunder - The Junior Johnson Story" written and directed by the author of the Tom Dooley play, Karen Wheeling-Reynolds. The play comes to the Fort Hamby amphitheater in October. Miracle on the Mountain in Banner ElkA new drama telling to story of the first 60 years of the famous Crossnore School, Miracle on the Mountain follows the lives of school founders, Mary and Eustace Sloop. Performed at the Crossnore School near Banner Elk during July. Shakespeare in the ParksNot all outdoor dramas are historical. Two N.C. companies, plus one in South Carolina, present Shakespeare's plays for free in municipal parks every summer. Check their websites for this year's productions.
Attendance at outdoor dramas, which suffered a decline in the last decade, now shows signs of improvement. The success of epic movies, renewed interest in family vacations and the popularity of heritage tourism all contribute to the booming interest in historical dramas. Scott Parker, former director of the institute at UNC said, "After 9/11, we saw a real spike in patriotism, a renewed interest in heritage and history. Outdoor dramas are a great way to preserve and celebrate the history of our country." The Institute for Outdoor Drama continues to encourage local communities to tell their tales. Parker said he knows of "at least three" new dramas organizing now in North Carolina. Shows on HiatusKeeping a drama going is a big project however, and some communities have to take an occasional break to regroup and refurbish their historical dramas. Shows on hiatus include: "Blackbeard: Knight of the Black Flag" at the Ormond Amphitheatre in Bath. The tale of the notorious pirate features plenty of swordplay as well as the story of his visits to North Carolina's oldest town. Bath, the state's first incorporated town, celebrated its 300th birthday in 2005 by bringing back its most notorious resident. After an absence of 18 years, "Blackbeard: Knight of the Black Flag," a historical outdoor drama, returned to the stage in a brand new amphitheatre. Written and directed by Stuart Aronson, the drama tells of the real life romance between Edward Teach, a.k.a. Blackbeard, and a young lady of Bath, during piracy's final days. Since 1965, the little town of Waxhaw, just south of Charlotte, has put on a drama about the life of native son Andrew Jackson, called "Listen and Remember" including the continuing question of which side of the state line he was born on. "We continue to argue that point every year," says Betty Couick, president of the Waxhaw Historical Festival and Drama Association, which presents the play on the grounds of the Museum of the Waxhaws and Andrew Jackson Memorial.
"Ripple in the River," Helen Goodman Amphitheatre, Polkton. The Anson County Writers' Club's story of Snedysborough, N.C., a small, bustling port at the headwaters of the Pee Dee River, which thrived from the late 1790s until just before the Civil War. On hiatus while funds are raised for new theater. Strike at the Wind in PembrokeAnother Native American drama returns to the stage in southeastern North Carolina: "Strike at the Wind!" tells the story of the Lowrie War, an important episode in the history of today's Lumbee Indian tribe. The musical, with score by Willie French Lowery, a native Lumbee songwriter, runs weekends through Aug. at the N.C. Indian Cultural Center near Pembroke. Duplin Voices: An Adaption of the Duplin Story - telling the story of Duplin County’s evolution, from its founding in 1749, through its contributions and sacrifices related to the Revolutionary and Civil Wars, and includes William Thornton’s space flight. Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in America, in Forest City, NC. "Worthy is the Lamb," Crystal Coast Amphitheatre, Swansboro. J.T. Adams, playwright. The White Oak River is the backdrop for this passion play beginning with John the Baptist's arrival in Jerusalem. The 300-foot stage features three life-size replicas of buildings in Biblical times; staff members dress in garb of the 12 tribes of Israel; sheep, horses and Solomon the camel are among the cast members. The recorded soundtrack features more than 150 Shakespearean actors in speaking roles and a symphony orchestra. For the latest news on outdoor dramas across the state and the nation, visit the Institute's website: http://www.unc.edu/depts/outdoor/
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