Amarillo, TX—The late Fred Alley, co-founder of the American Folklore Theatre in Fish Creek, WI, was honored posthumously with the 2002 Mark R. Sumner Award for distinguished achievement in the U.S. outdoor drama movement at a ceremony on October 26, 2002, at the National Conference on Outdoor Drama in Amarillo, TX.
The Sumner Award, the only one of its kind to recognize excellence in outdoor drama, is presented by the Institute of Outdoor Drama, a public service agency of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, with a constituency of 123 theatres in 37 states.
In presenting the award, institute director, Scott Parker cited Alley as “representing the spirit of the outdoor historical drama movement.”
Alley authored or collaborated on some 20 productions and wrote the script and lyrics for several of the most popular productions at the American Folklore Theatre. With James Valcq, Alley also co-authored Spitfire Grill, Winner of the Richard Rogers Production Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
The mission of the AFT is to perform original musicals that further the knowledge and appreciation of the heritage of the United States with local and regional settings and themes.
The Mark R. Sumner Award was established in 1990 to honor the director emeritus of the Institute of Outdoor Drama and his lifetime contribution to the outdoor drama movement.
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Institute of Outdoor Drama news contact: Scott Parker, director, Institute of Outdoor Drama; 919-962-1328; outdoor@unc.edu; http://www.unc.edu/depts./outdoor
American Folklore Theatre contact: M. Kay Christman, managing director, American Folklore Theatre; 920-854-6117; aft@folkloretheatre.com; http://www.folkloretheatre.com