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CAROLINA J

NEWS SERVICES
Clifton Metcalf, Director

210 Pittsboro Street, Campus Box 6210
NEWS Chapel Hill, NC 27599-6210
(919) 962-2091 FAX: (919) 962-2279

For immediate use Oct. 4, 1991 -- No. 537

National outdoor drama conference
set for Oct. 24-27 in Bardstown, Ky.

CHAPEL HILL -- Professionals from across the country will
converge in Bardstown, Ky., Oct. 24-27 to discuss "theatre under the
Stars" at the 1991 National Outdoor Drama Conference.

The event in Bardstown, home of Paul Green�?Ts long-running outdoor
drama "The Stephen Foster Story,"»is the 29th annual conference
sponsored by the Institute of Outdoor Drama at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill. The institute is a research and advisory
agency of the university.

The conference is the only national meeting for those involved in
the production, management or planning of outdoor historical dramas,
which bring to life events that took place at or near performance
Sites. The historic settings, along with larger-than-life portrayals,
song and dance, and spectacular special effects, create a unique form
of theatrical entertainment viewed by more than 2 million people last
year.

Traditionally, the conference draws representatives from more
than 70 outdoor historical drama companies in 30 states from Alaska to
Florida. These theater professionals produce historical plays,
Shakespeare festivals, religious dramas and pageants that in 1990

generated $6 billion for the travel industry. Outdoor historical
dramas are among the largest employers in American theater, creating
more than 4,500 jobs each year.

Local host for this year�?Ts conference will be The Stephen Foster
Drama Association, producers of the historical drama now entering its
34th season in the 1,400-seat J. Dan Talbott Amphitheatre on the
grounds of My Old Kentucky Home State Park in Bardstown.

(More)

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Page 2-2-2 Outdoor drama conference Oct. 24-27 (537)

A tour of the facility will be part of an in-depth look at the
operation of "The Stephen Foster Story." Tours of local historic
attractions, including the 19th-century plantation that inspired
Foster�?Ts melody "My Old Kentucky Home," will highlight a schedule of
panel discussions and workshops. Participants also can eat a gourmet
meal aboard the 1940s vintage dining cars of My Old Kentucky Dinner
Train as it travels from Bardstown to Limestone Springs and back.

On Oct. 26, the Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation, producers
of the outdoor drama "Texas!" in Canyon, Texas, will present the Paul
Green Seminar in Theatre Production. Designed for seasoned
professionals and public relations directors who are well-acquainted
with the basics of evelopment and promotion, the seminar
will offer a look at the nuts and bolts of the "Texas!" marketing
campaign, especially its innovative elements.

Also during the workshop, the 1991 Mark R. Sumner Award will be
presented to a person who has contributed significantly to a specific
outdoor drama or to the field in areas such as playwriting,
choreography, direction, dance and acting. The Sumner Award honors the
lifetime contribution of the Institute of Outdoor Drama�?Ts director

emeritus.

Registration deadline for the conference is Oct. 10. To receive a

registration brochure, write to the Institute of Outdoor Drama, UNC-
Chapel Hill, CB #3240, NCNB Plaza, Chapel Hii, N.C. 27599-3240, or
call (919) 962-1328.

Print Contact: Liz Lucas
Broadcast Contact: Barbara Thompson