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Outdoor dramas provided $63 millionboost to state tourism industry in 1999

CHAPEL HILL -- Eleven outdoor dramas across North Carolina added $63.7 million to the state's tourism industry in 1999, according to a recent economic impact study commissioned by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Institute for Outdoor Drama. That figure marks a 5 percent gain over the last such economic impact study conducted in 1997.

"Seventy-eight percent of 1999’s economic impact, $49.8 million, comes directly from out-of-state tourists," said Dr. Larry Gustke, director of the study, conducted at N.C. State University’s Office of Park and Tourism Research.

"These dramas help bring in people from all over the country who eat in local restaurants, sleep in hotels and visit other tourist attractions during their stay," said Gutske, professor of tourism management at N.C. State.

The overall economic impact was calculated using the Minnesota IMPLAN Group's economic impact model -- originally developed with the U.S. Forest Service -- which incorporates 580 individual sectors of the economy, each with its own multiplier, a figure used to gauge the number of times a dollar circulates before passing out of a community.

Tourism demographics show that what Americans traveling both in-state and nationally want most are educational, historical excursions and natural, scenic beauty -- "hallmarks of outdoor drama," said Scott Parker, director of UNC-CH’s Institute of Outdoor Drama, a public service agency and study sponsor. "Outdoor dramas play a major role in helping attract these kinds of tourists to North Carolina, and it's important to remember what that means to the economies in those local communities, too."

Parker said affordable ticket prices are only one reason the outdoor drama movement has continued to grow since the first play, "The Lost Colony" in Manteo, debuted in 1937. Other reasons include history brought vividly to life for audiences of all ages; the dramas’ proximity to resorts and sites where events portrayed actually occurred; and the support of new generations of parents, who recall being educated and delighted by the plays as children and now bring their own youngsters.

"Outdoor dramas help to cultivate an appreciation of the music, heritage, history and culture of our state," said Lynn Minges, deputy director of the N.C. Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development. "The dramas are located in unique venues, in quaint towns and villages all across the state and enhance the travel experience of visitors to North Carolina."

Elsewhere in North Carolina, the birthplace of outdoor historical drama, highlights this year include two free Shakespeare Festivals: Cape Fear Shakespeare, performing "Pericles" June 2-July 2 in Wilmington, and the Montford Park Players, with "A Winter’s Tale" and "Macbeth" June 2-Aug. 13 in Asheville.

Each weekend from mid-June to mid-September, on the North Carolina coast in Swansboro, "Worthy is the Lamb" dramatizes the life of Jesus Christ. In Snow Camp, in central North Carolina, "Pathway to Freedom" will again alternate nights with "The Sword of Peace." "Pathway," one of the nation’s two predominantly black outdoor dramas, tells the story of hundreds who helped escaped slaves flee north before the Civil War. "Sword" profiles peaceful Quakers during the Revolutionary War.

The other African-American-centered outdoor drama also is in North Carolina. Raleigh’s "Amistad Saga: Reflections" tells how captured Africans on a boat fought for freedom from slavery, and how their plight helped create opportunities for others across the country and in North Carolina.

For a 2000 Directory of Outdoor Drama in America, send $5 to the Institute of Outdoor Drama, UNC-Chapel Hill, CB 3240, Chapel Hill, N.C. 27599-3240. The directory includes a locator map for 121 theaters nationwide, plot summaries, performance dates, theater addresses and phone numbers.

Below is a list of North Carolina outdoor dramas, plots, places and dates, also available on the institute's World Wide Web site, www.unc.edu/depts/outdoor/ or from the institute at (919) 962-1328.

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"Amistad Saga: Reflections," Ann Hunt-Smith, playwright. African American Cultural Complex Amphitheatre, Raleigh. A mutiny aboard a slave ship that marked the beginning of the end of slavery in the United States comes to life through powerful speeches, song and dance. Thursdays and Sundays, July 20-July 20. African American Cultural Complex, 119 Sunnybrook Road, Raleigh, NC 27610. 919-212-3598.

Cape Fear Shakespeare, Greenfield Lake Amphitheatre, Wilmington. "Pericles," Fridays-Sundays, June 2-July 2. Free. 227 Oakleaf Dr., Wilmington, NC 28403. 910-392-7474.

"Duplin Voices," Frank Trimble, playwright. Hampton D. Williams Amphitheatre, Kenansville. This outdoor drama tells the history of Duplin County over 250 years, including the American Revolution and the Civil War. The pageant, first written in 1949, has been updated to the modern day. Thursdays and Sundays, July 20-July 20. Duplin Outdoor Drama, P.O. Box 956, Kenansville, NC 28349. Box office, 800-793-3726, management, 910-296-2345.

"First for Freedom," Max B. Williams, playwright. Joseph Montford Amphitheatre, Halifax. Celebrates events leading to the signing on April 12, 1776, of the Halifax Resolves, the first formal declaration of independence from Great Britain by an American colony. Thursdays-Saturdays, June 29-July 15 and July 4. Eastern Stage Inc., P.O. Box 21, Halifax, NC 27839. 252-583-3011.

"From This Day Forward," Fred Cranford, playwright. Old Colony Amphitheatre, Valdese. Story of the Waldenses, a religious sect that arose in southeast France in the 1100s, their struggle to survive persecution in their homeland and their eventual arrival in North Carolina to establish a colony in 1893 at Valdese. Includes music and dance. Fridays-Sundays July 21-Aug. 18. Old Colony Players, P.O. Box 112, Valdese, NC 28690. Box office, 800-743-8398; management, 828-874-0176.

"Horn in the West," Kermit Hunter, playwright; Peter MacBeth, composer. Hickory Ridge Homestead, Boone. In North Carolina's southern Appalachians during the American Revolution, frontiersman Daniel Boone and his settlers struggle against the British militia. Museum and homestead on site. Tuesdays-Sundays, June 16-Aug. 12. Southern Appalachian Historical Association, P.O. Box 295, Boone, NC 28607. Box office, 888-825-6747; management, 828-264-2120.

"Listen and Remember," Dare Harris Steele, playwright; Eleanor Niven McLaughlin, composer. Waxhaw Amphitheatre, Waxhaw. Celebrates Waxhaw's early pioneers, including the family of Andrew Jackson, who learns from adversity and builds character to help him serve as president. Fridays and Saturdays, June 2-July 1. Waxhaw Historical Festival and Drama Association, P.O. Box 1776, Waxhaw, NC 28173. 704-764-7159.

"The Lost Colony," Paul Green, playwright. Waterside Theatre, Manteo. Original symphonic drama, in its 63rd year, on the mysterious disappearance of the first English colony to settle in America after its arrival on Roanoke Island in 1587. Sundays-Fridays, June 2-Aug. 25. Roanoke Island Historical Association Inc., 1409 Hwy 64/264, Manteo, NC 27954. Box office, 800-488-5012, management, 252-473-2127.

Montford Park Players, Hazel Robinson Amphitheatre, Asheville: "A Winter’s Tale" and "Macbeth," Fridays and Sundays, June 2-Aug.13. Montford Park Players, 246 Cumberland Ave., Asheville, NC 28801. Box office, 828-254-5146; management, 828-254-4540.

"Ripple in the River," Anson County Writers Club, playwrights. 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. Thursdays-Saturdays, June 1-10. "Ripple in the River," c/o Sneydsborough Project Committee, 104 Lakeview, Wadesboro, NC 28135. Box office, 704-694-4181; management, 704-654-5211.

"The Sword of Peace," "Pathway to Freedom," Snow Camp Historic Amphitheatre, Snow Camp. "Sword," William Hardy, playwright: during the Revolution, the Cane Creek Society of Friends defends belief in non-violence; "Pathway," Mark Sumner, playwright: slavery opponents and free blacks help hundreds of escaped slaves flee north before the Civil War. On alternating nights Wednesdays-Saturdays, June 16-Aug. 26. For a schedule, call or write Snow Camp Outdoor Theatre, P.O. Box 535, Snow Camp, NC 27349-0535. Box office, 800-726-5115; management, 336-376-6948.

"Unto These Hills," Kermit Hunter, playwright; Jack F. Kilpatrick and McCrae Hardy, composers. Mountainside Theatre, Cherokee. Story of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee from arrival of Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto in 1540 to removal to Oklahoma on the tragic "Trail of Tears." Cherokee leaders Junaluska, Tsali and Sequoyah fight for the tribe's survival. Mondays-Saturdays, June 14-Aug. 26. Cherokee Historical Association, P.O. Box 398, Cherokee, NC 28719. 828-497-2111.

"Worthy is the Lamb," J.T. Adams, playwright. Crystal Coast Amphitheatre, Swansboro. The White Oak River is the backdrop for this passion play beginning with John the Baptist's arrival in Jerusalem. The recorded soundtrack features more than 150 Shakespearean actors in speaking roles and a symphony orchestra. Thursdays-Saturdays, June 30-Aug. 26 and Fridays and Saturdays, Aug. 27-Sept. 16. Crystal Coast Amphitheatre, Inc., P.O. Box 1004, Swansboro, NC 28584. Box office, 800-662-5960; management, 252-393-8373.

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Photos: To download photos of N.C. outdoor dramas, visit http://www.unc.edu/depts/outdoor/ncpress/