News Release

Local angles: Asheville, Bath, Boone, Cherokee,
Halifax, Manteo, North Wilkesboro, Pembroke,
Raleigh, Snow Camp, Valdese, Waxhaw, Wilmington

From the Cherokee to Blackbeard,
N.C. outdoor dramas set for 2006

CHAPEL HILL - The following 14 outdoor dramas will be performed in North Carolina this summer. The alphabetical list, with plots, places, dates and contact information for each theater, is provided by the Institute of Outdoor Drama at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

For more information, a locator map and a list of all outdoor dramas nationwide, visit the institute's Web site, www.unc.edu/depts/outdoor/.

Historical dramas:

"Amistad Saga: Reflections," African American Cultural Complex, 119 Sunnybrook Road, Raleigh 27606-2424. A mutiny aboard a slave ship that marked the beginning of the end of slavery in the United States is brought to life through powerful speeches, song and dance. Thursdays-Sundays, July 20-30. (919) 250-9336.

"Blackbeard: Knight of the Black Flag," Blackbeard, 70 Ormond Road, Bath 27808. Tale of one of the most notable characters of Colonial sailing days, Edward Teach, better known as the notorious pirate Blackbeard. Shown through the eyes of his bride, Mary Ormond. Thursdays-Saturdays, June 29-Aug. 19. (252) 923-4171.

"First for Freedom," Eastern Stage, 14511 Highway 903, Halifax 27839. 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. June 30; July 1, 2 and 4 (Friday-Sunday; Tuesday). (252) 583-2261.

"From This Day Forward," Old Colony Players, P.O. Box 112, Valdese 28690. 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. Fridays-Saturdays, July 7-Aug. 12. (828) 874-0176.

"Horn in the West," Southern Appalachian Historical Association Inc., P.O. Box 295, Boone 28607. In North Carolina's southern Appalachians during the American Revolution, frontiersman Daniel Boone and his settlers struggle against British militia. Tuesdays-Sundays, June 16-Aug. 12. (888) 825-6747.

"Listen and Remember," Waxhaw Historical Festival and Drama Association, 3115 Little Tom Starnes Road, Monroe 28112. Celebrates Waxhaw's early pioneers, including the family of Andrew Jackson, who learns from adversity and builds character to help him serve as president. Performed in Waxhaw. Fridays-Saturdays, June 16-July 1. (704) 764-7159 or (704) 843-2877.

"The Lost Colony," Roanoke Island Historical Association, 1409 National Park Road, Manteo 27954. Original symphonic outdoor drama on the mysterious disappearance of the first English colony to settle in America after its arrival on Roanoke Island in 1587. Lynn Redgrave will portray Queen Elizabeth I on June 2, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8. Mondays-Saturdays, June 2-Aug. 18. (800) 488-5012 or (252) 473-3414.

"Strike at the Wind," Carolina Arts Network Inc., P.O. Box 1350, Pembroke 28372. This drama depicts the life and mysterious disappearance of North Carolina Lumbee Indian outlaw Henry Berry Lowrie, whose exploits in the years after the Civil War earned him a reputation as the American Robin Hood. Fridays-Sundays, July 1-Aug. 26. (910) 521-0835.

"The Sword of Peace," Snow Camp Historical Drama Society Inc., P.O. Box 535, Snow Camp 27349-0535. During the American Revolution, Cane Creek Society of Friends defends belief in non-violence. Thursdays-Saturdays, June 29-Aug.18. (800) 726-5115.

"Pathway to Freedom," Snow Camp Historical Drama Society Inc., P.O. Box 535, Snow Camp 27349-0535. Slavery opponents and free blacks help hundreds of escaped slaves flee north before the Civil War. Thursdays-Saturdays, July 6.-Aug.19. (800) 726-5115.

"Tom Dooley: A Wilkes County Legend," Wilkes Playmakers Inc., P.O. Box 397, North Wilkesboro 28659. An 1868 Wilkes County love triangle results in the murder of one woman and subsequent hanging of Tom Dula (pronounced "Dooley"). Legend has it that he confessed to the murder to protect is true love. Friday-Thursday, June 23-30. (336) 838-7529.

"Unto These Hills," Cherokee Historical Association, P.O. Box 398, Cherokee 28719. The history of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, with a new script and more Native American actors, dances, customs and legends, written and directed by Hanay Geiogamah, Kiowa/Delaware, theater and American Indian studies faculty member at UCLA. Mondays-Saturdays, June 8-Aug. 19. (828) 497-2111.

Shakespeare festivals:

"The Montford Park Players," The Montford Park Players, 246 Cumberland Ave., Asheville 28801. "The Tempest," "Hamlet," and "She Stoops to Conquer" will be performed. Fridays-Sundays, June 16-Sept. 17. For specific production days, call the box office at (828) 254-4540.

"Shakespeare on the Green," Shakespeare on the Green, 208 N. 17th St., Wilmington 28401. "Love's Labour's Lost" will be performed. Fridays-Sundays, June 2-25. (910) 762-6393.

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Note: This list accompanies a news release available at http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/apr06/seas042806.htm

Photos: To download drama photos, visit the Institute of Outdoor Drama Web site, www.unc.edu/depts/outdoor/, and click "Media Info."

Institute of Outdoor Drama contact: Scott Parker, (919) 962-1328, parkers@email.uncl.edu
News Services contact: L.J. Toler, (919) 962-8589