Backstage at The Lost Colony: A Love Letter to an Iconic American Play
For more than eight decades, The Lost Colony outdoor drama has defied the odds. From its improbable founding during the Great Depression, through flood and fires, playwright Paul Green’s first and most famous symphonic outdoor drama is a study in resilience. And like the "lost" colonists of Roanoke Island, the people who created and sustained The Lost Colony — and who continue to preserve its legacy — are a study in passion and determination. Early in my career, I worked as a publicist and fundraiser for the show and fell under its spell. Thirty years later, in collaboration with author and Colony alum Dwayne Walls Jr., and with the support of so many other alumni and friends, I published Backstage at The Lost Colony as a passion project.
Backstage at The Lost Colony is the first book to offer a view of the show the audience never sees—the grinding toil behind the scenes, the occasional mishaps, the moments of mischief and glimpses of grace. Dwayne followed the cast and crew through The Lost Colony’s 80th production season and records his observations along with reflections from his time with the show. His observations are supplemented by first-person stories from Colony alumni and about 100 photos.
This is not an historical account of the show, though it does discuss the drama's founding, important milestones, and near-death experiences. Rather, we wanted to offer readers a fresh look at an iconic American play because, while we honor the past, we hope to illustrate that The Lost Colony, with its themes of freedom, community, hope, and optimism, is as relevant today as it was in 1937 when it premiered to a standing-room-only audience of more than 2,000 people.
Published 2018 by Coquina Press LLC
176 pages
8 x 9 Hardcover ISBN 978-0692067277
8 x 9 Paperback ISBN 978-0692083970
Backstage at The Lost Colony is the first book to offer a view of the show the audience never sees—the grinding toil behind the scenes, the occasional mishaps, the moments of mischief and glimpses of grace. Dwayne followed the cast and crew through The Lost Colony’s 80th production season and records his observations along with reflections from his time with the show. His observations are supplemented by first-person stories from Colony alumni and about 100 photos.
This is not an historical account of the show, though it does discuss the drama's founding, important milestones, and near-death experiences. Rather, we wanted to offer readers a fresh look at an iconic American play because, while we honor the past, we hope to illustrate that The Lost Colony, with its themes of freedom, community, hope, and optimism, is as relevant today as it was in 1937 when it premiered to a standing-room-only audience of more than 2,000 people.
Published 2018 by Coquina Press LLC
176 pages
8 x 9 Hardcover ISBN 978-0692067277
8 x 9 Paperback ISBN 978-0692083970
