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As you all know, Mark Sumner could not be with us this
weekend. He is taking it nice and easy in Chapel Hill,
recovering from a little minor surgery. He sends everyone

his best and promises to be back in the saddle soon.

I°m sorry Mark couldn�?ot be here tonight, because I wanted him
to hear this next announcement. So, I�?Tve brought a tape

recorder with me and I will take it back to him on Monday.

It°s generally accepted that America has made just two
original contributions to the theory and practice of world
theatre: what is commonly known as the Broadway musical, and
the outdoor historical drama of the kind created by Paul

Green more than half a century ago with The Lost Colony.

Today, there are nearly sixty of these outdoor dramas
scattered over the nation from Kodiak Island, Alaska to deep
in California; from St. Augustine, Florida, to northern New
York and many points in between. All of them are based on
historical or religious themes and all are family-oriented
entertainment. The more successful of them have run for 35
and 40 years, or more, and have been seen by millions of
Americans. It has also been said that the people of this
country have learned more about the plight of the American
Indian from these dramas than from lessons in schools. Not
only do these plays educate and delight the public, they also

have a huge economic impact on the rural communities where

most of them are situated. Unto These Hills, Shepherd of the

Hills, Tecumseh, and The Lost Colony, for example, are

destinations in their own right.

There is one person in the country who knows more about this
phenomenal development than anyone else; one person who, more
than anyone else, has encouraged and nurtured it. That
person is, of course, Mark Sumner, who, for the past 25 years
has been the Director of the Institute of Outdoor Drama at
the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Wherever
Mark goes in America, he is introduced as "Mr. Outdoor

Drama."

Tonight, I°m pleased to announce that the Administrative
Board of the Institute has established a national award in
Mark�?�s name which honors his lifetime contribution to outdoor
historical drama in the United States. To be known as the
Mark R. Sumner Award, it may recognize an individual�?Ts
contribution to a specific drama, or to the outdoor
historical drama movement as a whole, including, but not
limited to, playwrighting, directing, acting, design, theatre
architecture, patronage, scholarship, musical composition,

technology and innovation, production and administration.

While we hope to present the award annually, to insure its
place as the highest national recognition in our profession,

the Sumner Award will be presented only when, in the opinion

of the Administrative Board, a nominee warrants such

prestigious recognition.

The winter issue of U.S. Outdoor Drama, the quarterly

newsletter of the Institute, will officially announce the
establishment of the Sumner Award and will outline the
nomination procedure. It will state that nominations are
open and can be made by individuals or organizations, and
that nominations should include rationale and support
materials. Deadlines for nominations will also be announced.
Whe the award is presented, it will be at the Institutes

annual conference.

I know you all feel as I do, that to establish the first
nationwide award for significant contribution to outdoor
historical drama in Mark�?�s name is an altogether fitting and
appropriate honor, and that future recipients of the Sumner
Award will take genuine pride in being associated with his

name and reputation.

So, Mark, tonight we send you our best, and God�?os speed, and
we collectively thank you for all you�?Tve done to foster this

unique American art form.