The State of Outdoor Drama

North Carolina leads the nation in outdoor drama. Roanoke Island leads the state.

By Ralph Grizzle

It is 6 a.m. in New York City. Chris Mackey, Lisa Bridge and a small contingency of North Carolinians hustle along a Manhattan sidewalk, headed toward Rockefeller Center. They are there to promote Dare County tourism and hope to be panned by the cameras outside the NBC studios where "The Today Show" is being filmed.

Bridge, who plays Queen Elizabeth I at the outdoor drama "The Lost Colony," is dressed in period costume. Earlier, she had refused to get into a taxi for fear of crumpling the exquisite folds of her $9,000 dress. Mackey, director of marketing for the Outer Banks, hustles along behind Bridge, holding high the hem of the Queen's dress as she and the others shuffle along to NBC studios.

Arriving, they jockey for position against the front ropes. Everything's going great. The North Carolinians are well-positioned to get their few seconds of fame. But then the skies open, and it begins to pour rain. They quickly hoist the two umbrellas in their possession over the Queen.

A cameraman tells them that the "Today Show" hosts won't be coming outside in the rain. Not even Willard, the weatherman. But the cameras remain, and so does the crowd. Someone shouts over to the Queen, "Are you from Beauty and the Beast?" Before she could answer, another replies, "No. She's the Queen from The Lost Colony drama in North Carolina."

Acting Out History
It was one of those defining moments, a character from "The Lost Colony" being recognized way up in New York City. The incident underscores a fundamental truth, that there is growing interest in outdoor drama and interpretative history.

Last year, 81,768 people attended "The Lost Colony," North Carolina's oldest and longest running drama, making it one of the best attendance years on record, according to David Bundy, director of development, marketing and public relations for "The Lost Colony." That figure represents a 22% increase in attendance over 1996, proof, Bundy says, that there is "renewed interest in outdoor drama."

His claim is affirmed by Scott Parker, director of the Institute of Outdoor Drama in Chapel Hill. Last year, Parker says, attendance was up more than 10 percent at North Carolina's 11 outdoor dramas (a twelfth, the Cape Fear Shakespeare Festival in Wilmington, will be added this summer.)

"North Carolinians are more keenly interested in their heritage now more than ever before," Parker says. "They're also interested in seeing their heritage dramatized on stage. They [North Carolina's outdoor dramas] sort of bear witness to the great things we've accomplished as a state and help us preserve our culture."

(The Directory of Outdoor Drama in America, which includes a locator map for 91 theaters, plot summaries, performance dates, addresses and phone numbers, is available by sending $5 to the Institute of Outdoor Drama, The University of North Carolina, Campus Box #3240, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3240.)

North Carolina not only leads the nation in the number of outdoor dramas presented by a single state, Parker says, but also serves as the birthplace of outdoor drama, beginning with the first presentation of "The Lost Colony" on July 4, 1937.

For the 1998 season, "The Lost Colony" is gearing up for another banner year, having spent $2.4 million in renovation and rebuilding. Among the improvements are comfortable stadium-style seats, which replaced bone-tiring tiered benches.

Interpreting History
Down the road, across from Manteo's charming waterfront, Roanoke Island Festival Park, is also preparing for increased visitor counts as it expands the Elizabeth II State Historic Site. Built in 1984, the Elizabeth II is a replica of the 69-foot sailing vessel typical of those used in 1587, the year that 117 men, women and children journeyed from Britain to Roanoke Island to establish the first English settlement in America. Within three years, as the story is widely known, the entire colony vanished with scarcely a trace.

Festival Park 's expansion will include a 230-seat theater that will feature regular showings of "The Legend of Two-Path," a 45-minute film depicting early interactions between Native Americans and the colonists. The film, which was produced by the North Carolina School of the Arts, was shot in Stokes County and on Roanoke Island under the direction of Sam Grogg, whose financing and producing credits include Academy Award winning films "Kiss of the Spider Woman" and "Trip to Bountiful."

Across the hall from the theater, visitors will enter the site's new 8,500-square-foot exhibit hall through a 38-foot facade of a 16th century sailing vessel. Though not completed at press time, the facility will include interactive exhibits and nine themed areas that will illustrate the evolution of Roanoke Island over four centuries. Grand opening for all facilities will be in the fall, but so-called soft-openings will allow guests sneak previews throughout the season.

"History is the driving force here," says Barbara Leary, communications director for Festival Park. "We're really trying to take people from just prior to the landing right up to the 20th century and convey a sense of place in the process. We want to educate them about the string of failed colonization attempts that took place here, which nevertheless laid the foundation for the first permanent English settlement in Jamestown."

Leary notes that "ghosts hosts," garbed in period costumes, will help in interpreting history. These 16th century figures will wander the expansive lawns and boardwalks, interacting with visitors. Aboard the Elizabeth II, mariners and explorers from the Old World will address visitors in lilting Elizabethan dialect as they discuss the rigors of 16th century ocean voyages.

Preserving Heritage
All in all, Roanoke Island is spending $25 million to improve, or build new, facilities at three attractions--Festival Park, "The Lost Colony," and the adjacent North Carolina Aquarium. "Like many other communities in North Carolina, Roanoke Island is working hard to preserve its heritage and retain its unique character," Leary says. "The people here feel that the area's special role in the founding of our English-speaking nation deserves more attention."

And that may be just what they're getting. Back in New York, the North Carolina contingency, wet and cold, began to make their way back to their hotel. Suddenly, the Queen, who had been standing under an umbrella the whole time, is stopped by a camera crew for the soft-news TV series "Inside Edition."

"What do you think of [NBC Today Show co-host] Matt Lauer?" asks one of the crew, pointing the camera in the Queen's face. "Oh, he's adorable," she replies. "He has such beautiful eyes and such a charming personality."

Delighted with her comment, the camera crew continues on. The Queen turns to Mackey and asks, "Who the heck is Matt Lauer?"

That may seem odd to you, but then who would expect royalty to know of one of America's most eligible bachelors?

Box: Want To Go?
"The Lost Colony" is performed nightly except Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. June 5-August 28, 1998. Admission is $14 for adults and $7 for children age 11 and under. North Carolina residents are admitted for half price Fridays and Sundays in June 1998. Call 1-800-488 5012 for more information.

Festival Park is open year-round. Admission is currently $4 for adults, $2 for children over age 5. Beginning in July, the cost of admission doubles. Call 1-252-475-1506 for more information.

Optional quote for Tar Heel Quotes:
"This is a sacred spot here. Let us put on a drama, our drama, here at this patriotic shrine where those brave pioneers lived, struggled, suffered, and died. Yes, let us tell their story to the world."--U.S. Senator Josiah William Bailey in a speech to residents of Dare County, 1931.