Lost Colony Drama's "Eleanor Dare" Speaks in Manteo

Photo courtesy Lost Colony 

Marjalene Thomas, and long time Elizabeth City educator and actor will speak today at 10:30 a.m. at Bob-BQ's to the Museum Guild. Thomas played Eleanor Dare in "The Lost Colony" for seven seasons. She had performed in the drama in one part or another since its second season in 1938.

Viewing Photo 1 / 1 Photo courtesy Lost ColonyMarjalene Thomas, and long time Elizabeth City educator and actor will speak today at 10:30 a.m. at Bob-BQ's to the Museum Guild. Thomas played Eleanor Dare in "The Lost Colony" for seven seasons. She had performed in the drama in one part or another since its second season in 1938.

Albemarle Players alum returns home

By Robert Kelly - Goss

Marjalene Thomas remembers the good old days. Oh, these days life is good too, but Thomas, a long-time area educator and actor, recalls with fondness when she was involved with Encore Theatre’s precursor, Albemarle Players.
“This area has been so strong in the arts and that is one reason my whole family just loved it,” said Thomas from her home in Manteo this week.
Thomas, 83, will be in Elizabeth City today to speak to the Museum Guild about her days with the Albemarle Players and share photographic memories. Friend and fellow Albemarle Players member Nancy Ferebee says the many productions put on by the players were great fun and says Thomas was instrumental in making those plays exciting, quality entertainment for the area.
“One reason we moved to Elizabeth City from Burlington, N.C. was because it was so active in the arts and had a good school system and was close to the Outer Banks where we had a summer home,” said Thomas.
That was in 1958.

cont.

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'Lost Colony' has brand-new old clothes

Tony-winning designer made sure each outfit has the aged look it needs.
By Martha Waggoner
Associated Press

RALEIGH --Two days before opening night of “The Lost Colony,” Tony award-winning designer William Ivey Long was still working on costumes. They were all new, but had to look very, very old.

“The Lost Colony” tells the true story of an English settlement founded in 1587 on North Carolina's Outer Banks whose colonists mysteriously disappeared.
And so, Long was at it with cheese graters and rasps, aging the costumes that he and his staff had created. The costumes were made to replace more than 1,000 outfits destroyed in a fire last fall at the Waterside Theatre in Manteo, not far from the site of the original colony on Roanoke Island.

“This has been the greatest challenge and, for me, the greatest assignment of my entire life,” said Long.

It seems implausible that work on a regional outdoor drama could top the five Tonys that Long has won for his costume work in “Hairspray,” “Grey Gardens,” “The Producers,” “Crazy for You,” and “Nine.”

But Long, who donated his time and labor to “The Lost Colony,” has been affiliated with the show his entire life. His father was technical director for “The Lost Colony,” and Long was 8 when he first performed as a colonist boy.
He dyed and mottled the clothes himself before moving on to tear the sleeves, hems and, for the men, the knees, to age the clothes the colonists wear in the final scenes before they disappear.

“The Lost Colony” production, which has been performed each summer at the Waterside since 1937, bills itself as the nation's longest-running symphonic outdoor drama. Producer Carl Curnutte said the show was bound to return despite last year's blaze, which caused more than $2.7 million in damage. The cause of the fire remains undetermined.

http://www.charlotte.com/breaking_news/story/684671.html

North Carolina: Birthplace of the Outdoor Drama; Continues Rich Tradition

Outdoor Drama Takes the Stage in NC

Outdoor drama is a melding of literature and landscape. North Carolina – with its scenic beauty, history and love of storytelling – is its birthplace. Ten outdoor dramas take to the North Carolina stage this summer. Most are historical in nature, depicting actual events near the site where history happened.

Pulitzer Prize winner and North Carolina native Paul Green gave birth to outdoor drama when he wrote The Lost Colony in 1937, the nation’s oldest and longest-running outdoor drama.

Cinematic in scale and production quality, outdoor dramas are staged in huge amphitheaters with mountains, rolling hills and beaches as backdrops. They feature music and dance, huge casts of extras, special effects like pyrotechnics, beautiful costumes, battles and even horse-drawn wagon trains.

So, find an aisle seat and get ready to meet the players of outdoor drama in North Carolina.

The Lost Colony, Manteo. Performed in the Waterside Theatre, this symphonic drama depicts the valiant struggle of 117 men, women and children attempting to settle in the New World in 1587. They disappeared without a trace, and for over 400 years, this has been one of history’s greatest mysteries. Many famous actors such as Andy Griffith got their start in this drama. This year’s performance marks a triumph for the Lost Colony; despite the burning of their costume shop last year, the drama will not miss this season.

Full Article Here:

http://findamountainhome.com/blog/?p=141

Lost Colony Play Lifts Nation from Depression in 1937

by Harry McKown

July 2006

Conceived in the depth of the Depression, when supporting funds were hard to find, The Lost Colony was made possible ultimately as a cooperative effort by local people and several state and federal agencies. Workers from the Roanoke Island camp of the Civilian Conservation Corps build the open-air Waterside Theatre where the play was performed and later several of them joined the cast. The Rockefeller Foundation gave an organ to provide musical accompaniment. The Playmakers of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provided lighting and other technical assistance and also supplied the director, Samuel Selden. Actors came from the Federal Theatre Project and from among the islanders themselves. The project had the support of North Carolina's U. S. Senator, Josiah William Bailey and Congressman Lindsay Warren. The U. S. Postal Service issued a stamp to publicize the event and the Treasury minted a commemorative half-dollar which the Roanoke Island Historical Society was allowed to sell for $1.50 to raise money.
The drama and the setting were ready.

The question remained, would anybody come? Getting to Roanoke Island on North Carolina's Outer Banks in 1937 was a challenge. From the North it involved a ferry ride, several miles on a "floating road" over a swamp, and the rest of the way on packed sand roads. The "easier" route from the west consisted of miles of graded dirt roads and two ferry trips. Nevertheless, approximately 2,500 people attended the first performance of The Lost Colony, and by the end of the summer attendance stood at about 50,000, including President Franklin Roosevelt. Originally, the play was scheduled to run only for the Summer of 1937. It had been so popular, however, and such a boon to the local economy that it returned in 1938 and by the end of the next year it was being seen by 100,000 people a season. Except for four years during World War II, The Lost Colony has played every Summer, becoming an institution on the North Carolina coast and in the American theater. It is one of the mainstays of the island's economy and has been a training ground for young actors and theater technicians around the country. Alumni of The Lost Colony include Andy Griffith, Chris Elliot, Eileen Fulton, Carl Kasell, William Ivey Long, and Joe Layton. The Lost Colony also set the pattern for dozens of similar productions, usually referred to as outdoor dramas, staged from Florida to Alaska.

Full Article Here:

http://www.lib.unc.edu/ncc/ref/nchistory/jul2006/index.html

Lost Colony Drama has Long History of Pleasing the Public

This Month in North Carolina History
July 1937 - The Lost Colony

Program from the first "Lost Colony" production, 1937.

On the 4th of July, 1937, a new form of American drama was born on Roanoke Island, North Carolina, as a part of the celebration of the 350th anniversary of the arrival of the first English settlers in North America. The Roanoke Island Historical Association, led by W. O. Saunders, editor of the Elizabeth City Independent, and D. B Fearing, a state Senator from Dare County, approached Pulitizer Prize-winning North Carolina author Paul Green about writing a play on the Roanoke settlement of 1587. Saunders, on a recent trip to Germany, had seen the outdoor religious plays at Oberammergau in Bavaria and wanted something similar for North Carolina. Green, as a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, had been encouraged by his mentor, Professor Frederick Koch, to draw literary inspiration from local history and folklore. In fact, some years earlier, Green had written a one act play based on the Roanoke Island experience. Although he considered the play a failure, Green had been inspired by a visit to the island at the time and readily took on the job of writing the new play. Green envisioned a production that would combine drama, music, dance, and pageantry all in a sweeping outdoor setting. He called his creation The Lost Colony: A Symphonic Drama of American History .

Program from the 1952 "Lost Colony" featuring Andy Griffith as Sir Walter Raleigh.
Conceived in the depth of the Depression, when supporting funds were hard to find, The Lost Colony was made possible ultimately as a cooperative effort by local people and several state and federal agencies. Workers from the Roanoke Island camp of the Civilian Conservation Corps build the open-air Waterside Theatre where the play was performed and later several of them joined the cast.

cont. here:

http://www.lib.unc.edu/ncc/ref/nchistory/jul2006/index.html

Lost Colony Outdoor Drama to Benefit from 8th Annual Golf Classic

Former Red Sox team up with Lost Colony Golf Classic

The 8th Annual Lost Colony Invitational Golf Classic will take place Friday April 18th at Duck Woods Golf Club in Southern Shores. And......members of the 1967 Red Sox will be on hand this year to spice thing up! Tee time on the 18th is 10:00 a.m., but there's a dinner and silent auction at 5:00 p.m. All proceeds will benefit the Lost Colony, America's longest running outdoor drama, now in its 71st year. There's also a cocktail party on April 17th from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. at Duck Woods. Admission is $40.00, which is a nominal fee considering you'll get beer, wine, hors d'oeuvres and a chance to mingle with the '67 Bosox! Space is limited! Reserve today!

Cont. Here:

http://blog.joelambjr.com/2008/04/07/former-red-sox-team-up-with-lost-colony-golf-classic.aspx

Lost Colony Outdoor Drama Receives Big Boost From C of C

Chamber of Commerce supports The Lost Colony

The Outer Banks Chamber of Commerce members recently donated $27,505 to The Lost Colony.

The funds will assist the drama's rebuilding efforts following the devastating September fire. Margaret Wells, co-chairman of the Chamber's Costume Fund Drive, presented the check to Chris Seawell, Board Chairman of the Roanoke Island Historical Association (RIHA).

Funds from the award will be used to assist The Lost Colony's costuming costs as items must be rebuilt and replaced following the September fire that destroyed three buildings and their contents.

The Chamber and its members are now a part of The Lost Colony's Shining Stars -- businesses, organizations and individuals who have provided extraordinary support to assist the outdoor drama since the tragedy.

Cont. Here:

http://obsentinel.womacknewspapers.com/articles/2008/03/05/business/bus3022.txt