The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1959-07-03
LOST COLONY LAUNCHED
UNDER AUSPICES WHICH
PREDICT FAVORABLE SEASON
Paul Green's Ma+chIess Drama, First Home
Grown Outdoor Product. Enters 9th Season
Saturday, With Enthusiastic Send Off By
Home Folks to Whose Hearts It Has Always
Been Dear.

The Lost Colony began its 10Th
season Saturday night, June 9th
with an enthusiastic send-off by
Dare County folks who foregath-
cred for a picnic on the grounds
at Fort Raleigh. When the show
opened with $50 paid admissions
at S:15 it was considered a good
opening night. Attendance in the
nights following have been consid-
cred above the usual ones in re-
cent immediate years. Many cir
cumstances this year encourage
hope for an unusually good season.
Present at the opening perform
ance was Warner Twyford, drama
tic critic for Norfolk Newspapers,
and one of the shows long time
friends, who offered the following
comment next day in his column:
"The Lost Colony" most endur-
ing of all the outdoor dramas,
marched on into it's 10th season
with a beautiful, flawless perform
ance in the Waterside theatre at
Manteo Saturday night.
"The premier performance was
attended by about 1900 persons,
a large opening night crowd.
at was preceded by a Dare
County Day celebration which in
cluded water sports, a presenta-
ton of the performers in the first
edition of The Lost Colony which
was made into a movie in 1921.
There was also picnic supper,
fireworks, and a program of Indi-
an dances by Norfolk and Ports
mouth Boy Scouts.
"The performance was in the
best Lost Colony tradition, with
fine individual characterizations by
Robert Lee McQuain as John Bor-
den, Marjalene Thomas as Eleanor
Dare, Ray Smith as Old Tom,
Mary Long as Queen Elizabeth,
and James Howard as Sir Walter
Raleigh. Costuming, sets, and
lighting contributed to a brilliant
production, which was given ex-
pert touches in the direction by
Cliff Britton. A thunderstorm
threatened to break throughout
the performance"
Further details of the event are
recorded generally as follows:
Dare County Rep. r. Bruce
Etheridge, who understudied the
role of Governor John White in
Lost Colony production for the
state school movies SO years ago
appeared with a score of other
actors of that 1921 cast in fea-
tured attraction of a Dare County
Day program presented as a pre-
lude to the Lost Colony's 10th
season premiere Saturday night at
the Lost Colony amphitheatre.
Other actors interviewed includ-
ed such characters (of 1921 as
Alpheus w. Drinkwater in the In
dian costume he wore SO years
ago; Mrs. Mabel Evans Jones of
Manteo who had the leading role
of Eleanor Dare and baby Virginia
Dare of 1921; now 38-year-old
Mrs. Eloise Casper of Elizabeth
City.
Ralph Pool, a Virginian-Pilot
staff member who played the ro-
mantle leading role of Ananias
Dare, returned to the stage of
Waterside Theatre to tell about
the original "Lost Colony" pro-
duction. He resides in Norfolk, Va.
Others interviewed included
Mrs. Mary Mann Evans who has
been Lost Colony actor in every
production including the current
drama since 1921; Ras Wescott,
Mrs. Louise Meekins, Mrs. Leo
Midget, Balfour Baum and Ern-
See LOST COLONY, Page Seven