The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1956-10-19
BERMUDIANS INSPIRED OVER
REVIEW OF LOST COLONY MAY
ESTABLISH MID OCEAN PLAY
British Islands in Mid-Atlan+ic Hear Manager
Dick Jordan Tell Of Beginnings and Successes
Of Roanoke Islands Summer Attraction; Lead
ers Propose Similar Play Dealing With Bermu-
da History.
By AYCOCK BROWN

unQer a SIX cOlumn neaQllne on
the front page of Bermuda Mid
Ocean News and Colonial Govern
ment Gazette on Wednesday, last
week, and as a result of an inter
view with the productions general
manager, Dick Jordan, now on
vacation with Mrs. Jordan, on the
British-owned Atlantic island, an
outdoor play, similar to The Lost
Colony, Common Glory and Unto
These Hills, may be presented
there.
How Bermuda's interest in an
historic outdoor drama came about
resulted from visit with Cover
nor Luther Hodges in August, by
1t. General Sir John Woodall,
governor of the island and Sir
Stanley Squirting. On their visit
they were guests of Governor and
Mrs. Hodges at performance of
The Lost Colony, on the anniver-
sary of the birth of Virginia Dare,
first child of English parents born
in the New World. They also had
roles in an impressive tree plant
ing program at the Elizabethan
Garden here on August 18.
Sir Stanley, prominent in Ber-
muda financial circles, had talked
with Jordan while here about the
possibility of presenting SYM
phonic drama on Bermuda to tell
the romantic history of that is
land. He stated that he would like
to talk more about The Lost
Colony type of production with
Jordan when he and Mrs. Jordan
were on their current Bermuda
vacation. The Islands interest was
shown in the newspaper story
which appeared under the caption:
"Here Comes Mr.. Jordan = Lost
Colony Tells of History Close to
Bermuda" which follows:
"There is another island, lying
between Albemarle and Pamlico
Sounds, on North Cardinals coast,
with a history that echoes Ber-
muda's own-hardship, despair,
courage, and romance.
"Here was enacted the tragedy
of the Lost Colony, the group of
dauntless English settlers who
vanished into the wilderness of the
New World without a trace, except
for a lone word carved on tree
'Croatoan.'
"Here it was that the first white
child of English parentage was
born, Virginia Dare, who vanished
when the settlers disappeared, but
whose name is known by every
school child in the United States.
"The history of this early Col
ony is told every summer in a
music drama written by Pulitzer
Prize winner, and played in an
outdoor amphitheatre each sum-
mer to thousands of visitors to
Roanoke Island.
'And the man who produces the
show each summer, Mr.. Richard
E. Jordan, is mentioning in Ber-
muda with his wife now, and
taking the opportunity to pass
along information on the opera
ton of such a drama to one of
Bermuda's leading historians, Sir
Stanley Squirting.
"Sir Stanley and His Excellency
the Governor, 1t. Gen. Sir John
Woodall, were honor guests of
Governor Luther Hodges Of North
Carolina at the annual August
celebration of the birth of Vir-
ginia Dare, and they saw the Lost
Colony.
"Sir Stanley expressed the
thought that such symphonic
drama, based on Bermuda's early
history, might well be an attrac-
ton here in the Colony, and Mr..
Jordan volunteered to provide
facts and figures on the operation
and the cost of the show during
his visit here.
"The Lost Colony played its
first performance nearly 20 years
ago, not long after an enterprising
newspaperman from nearby Eliz-
abeth City, the late w. o. Saun-
ders, felt that Manteo community
was missing bet in the annual
celebrations.
beginning in 1897, a few resi-
dents had celebrated Virginia
Dare Day each August Is, the
child's birthday, but the celebra-
ton snowballed annually, and Mr..
Saunders thought even more could
be done.
"He got together with Bradford
Fearing and together they APP.
preached composer Paul Green,
who had already won a Pulitzer
Prize for his play "In Abraham's
Bosom"
"He knew the history Of the