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Outdoor Theatre in North Carolina Lagniappe * Lagniappe *Lagniappe (lan-yap, lan yap ) n. An extra or unexpected gift or benefit. [Louisiana French] William Joseph Thomas, Assistant Director for Collections and Scholarly Communications, Joyner Library, East Carolina University From “The Lost Colony” to “Unto These Hills”: Outdoor Theatre in North Carolina ummertime is high season for outdoor dramas, and North Carolina has a rich history of Sthem. Many NC natives have at- tended a production of “The Lost Colony” in Manteo or “Unto These Hills” in Cherokee. Other outdoor dramas in our state include “Strike at the Wind,” in Pembroke; “Horn in the West,” in Boone; “Tom Dooley: A Wilkes County Legend,” in Wil- kesboro; “First for Freedom,” in Halifax; and “From this Day Forward,” in Valdese. Shakespeare has his place in North Carolina too, from Ashe- ville’s Montford Park Players to Wilm- ington’s Cape Fear Shakespeare. The first, and arguably best-known, of North Carolina’s outdoor dramas is “The Lost Colony.” Written by Pu- litzer prize-winning NC native Paul Figure 1: Andy Griffith in the The Lost Colony, 1950, from Joyner Library Digital Collections, Green to commemorate its 350th an- http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/34133. niversary, “The Lost Colony” tells the story of the intended settlement of Colony” has entertained millions of around Robeson County from 1864 1587 and subsequent disappearance audience members and provided op- to 1872.3 Written by NCCU profes- of the 117 English colonists, includ- portunity for some 5,000 actors, in- sor of drama Randolph Umberger, ing Virginia Dare, first English child cluding favorite North Carolina son “Strike at the Wind” was performed born in the New World.1 Opening Andy Griffith. The production is still at the Lakeside Amphitheatre near night was July 4, 1937, in the Water- going strong, now in its 82nd season Pembroke from its opening on July side Theatre built by local Civilian in Manteo. 1, 1976, to 1996, and revived from Conservation Corps workers.2 Since “Strike at the Wind” tells the story 1999 to 2007. Production had a a successful opening season, marked of the legendary Lumbee Henry Berry 10-year hiatus before being adapted by the attendance of President Roo- Lowry and his “gang” of outlaws who for indoor performance in 2017 at sevelt on August 18th, “The Lost evaded capture in swampy land the Givens Performing Arts Center, 1. Roanoke Island Historical Association. “The Lost Colony – A History of Making History.” The Lost Colony. https://www.thelostcolony.org/the-lost- colony/. 2. Williams, Ashley. “Outdoor Theatre and the New Deal, Take Two.” Bringing the Outdoors ‘Indoors’: Processing the Institute of Outdoor Theatre’s Ar- chives. https://web.archive.org/web/20170707184426/http://blog.ecu.edu/sites/outdoortheatre/. 3. Oakley, Christopher Arris. The Legend of Henry Berry Lowry: Strike at the Wind and the Lumbee Indians of North Carolina. Mississippi Quarterly 60, no. 1 (2006): 59-80. North Carolina Libraries Volume 77 Issue 1 Spring/Summer 2019 59 DRAFT Figure 2: “Strike at the Wind” photo from Joyner Figure 3: Detail from “Unto These Hills” Souvenir Program, 2005, from Joyner Library Digital Library Digital Collections, http://digital.lib. Collections, http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/36971. ecu.edu/37046. and is, in July 2019, returning to the doctoral student Kermit Hunter, who Support for these and other outdoors, with performances sched- also wrote “Horn in the West,” among outdoor theatre productions in our uled for the Adolph Dial Amphithe- other plays, “Unto These Hills” traces state was provided by The Institute of atre at the Lumbee Tribe Cultural the outline of Cherokee history from Outdoor Theatre (IOT). The IOT has Center.4 For the intriguing story of their interaction with de Soto in the provided research, education, and “Strike at the Wind” and its initial 1540s to Removal in the 1830s. The advocacy for outdoor dramas, not just production and reception, see Chris- original version of the play ends with in North Carolina, since its founding topher Oakley’s “The Legend of Henry Tsali’s self-sacrifice that enabled the in 1963 in Chapel Hill as the Institute Berry Lowry: Strike at the Wind and Eastern Band to remain in the North of Outdoor Drama. Many of the play- the Lumbee Indians of North Caro- Carolina mountains.5 Beginning in wrights, producers, and others in- lina.” the late 1990s, the script was revised volved in “The Lost Colony,” “Strike “Unto These Hills,” the second-lon- several times to correct historical inac- at the Wind,” “Unto These Hills,” gest running outdoor drama in the curacies, including 2007, by Linda “Horn in the West,” and other notable US, was first staged July 1, 1950, at Swimmer, a tribal member who is also North Carolina outdoor dramas were the Mountainside Theater in Chero- part of the Cherokee Historical As- part of the Institute of Outdoor kee. “Unto These Hills” was sponsored sociation.6 Recently a decision was Drama, UNC Chapel Hill’s Depart- by the Cherokee Historical Associa- made to return to a modified version ment of Dramatic Arts, or the associ- tion, with help in the planning and of Hunter’s original script. That ated Carolina Playmakers (later Play- production by Samuel Selden of UNC revised version of Hunter’s original makers Repertory Company)—Paul Chapel Hill’s Department of Dra- play is now in production for the Green, Samuel Selden, Kermit Hunter, matic Arts. Written by UNC summer of 2019.7 and Randolph Umberger, among 4. “‘Strike at the Wind!’ Returns to Amphiteatre for a Sold-Out Show.” The Robesonian, July 8, 2019, sec. Features. https://www.robesonian.com/fea- tures/124921/strike-at-the-wind-returns-to-adolph-dial-amphitheater. 5. Moore, Cecelia. “Outdoor Dramas.” NCPedia. 2006. https://www.ncpedia.org/outdoor-dramas. 6. Smithers, Gregory D. “A Cherokee Epic: Kermit Hunter’s Unto These Hills and the Mythologizing of Cherokee History.” Native South 8 (2015): 1-30. 7. “’Unto These Hills’ Outdoor Drama.” Cherokee North Carolina. http://visitcherokeenc.com/play/attractions/unto-these-hills-outdoor-drama/. DRAFT 8. Department of Dramatic Art of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Records #40080, University Archives, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 60 North Carolina Libraries Volume 77 Issue 1 Spring/Summer 2019 others. More details and some records and audio and video files on every- have long been valued by the outdoor related to the Institute of Outdoor thing from reel-to-reel tapes to floppy theatre community, including Drama are available in the records of disks. Nearly 1,500 items from the Summer and Outdoor Theatre Audi- the Department of Dramatic Arts for collection have now been digitized tions, an annual national conference, UNC Chapel Hill at Wilson Library.8 and are available online. Highlights year-round consulting, and online In 2010, the Institute was relocated of the digital materials include pho- resources”.11 The Institute of Outdoor to East Carolina University, and in tographs of the construction of the Theatre maintains its own website, to 2014, Institute records were donated Waterside and the Mountainside connect interested people to theatres to ECU’s Joyner Library. The Library Theatre (homes of “The Lost Colony” by state (and country), to link to their received funding from the National and “Unto These Hills”), a brochure book on Outdoor Theatre Facilities and Archives’ National Historical Publica- from the premier season of “Strike at other publications, and to point re- tions and Records Commission to the Wind,” an audio recording of searchers to the Institute’s archives at process the collection and begin “Horn in the West,” and a silent film Joyner Library. Researchers are digitization.9 Records in the collection about the Lost Colony. welcome to Joyner Library to make span some 600 outdoor theatres across There was another transition in store, use of the collections. multiple states, including some that though: the Institute for Outdoor And get outside! Which outdoor began in the 1920s. The plays them- Theatre came under the aegis of the theatre production will you see this selves portray a panoply of American Southeastern Theatre Conference in summer? heroes and villains, from Lewis & 2017, although it continues its service Clark to Blackbeard, Billy the Kid to today.10 Johnny Appleseed. Material types in The Southeastern Theatre Confer- the collection include scripts, promo- ence remains committed to “maintain- tional materials, photographs, letters, ing and building upon services that 9. Institute of Outdoor Theatre Archives (#1250), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J.Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA. 10. Horth, Betsey. “Institute of Outdoor Theatre to Become Part of SETC.” SETC News. July / August 2016. https://issuu.com/setc.org/docs/2016-july- august/15?e=3431256/35348833. 11. “Outdoor Theatre.” Southeastern Theatre Conference. https://www.setc.org/about/iot/. Figure 4: Institute of Outdoo Theatre Logo North Carolina Libraries Volume 77 Issue 1 Spring/Summer 2019 61 DRAFT.
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