THE..SOLOTO -SOCTETY -<INC. NEWS RELEASE
Pi ORB ONG e785 iy
Chillicothe, Ohio 45601

 

 

Telephone: 614-773-1108

RELEASED: TO: Newspapers, Radio §& Television FOR RELEASE Immediately

 

 

PHOTOGRAPH ENCLOSED

CHILLICOTHE, OHIO.

SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN AMPHITHEATRE OVER 70% COMPLETE. The Sugarloaf
pena de ns hie AT a cn hrc ns ns Sel A oll rd Ka ne

Mountain Amphitheatre, home of the epic outdoor historical drama
TECUMSEH! , is now over 70% complete and ahead of the revised
construction schedule, according to W. L. Mundell, Executive Vice
President of the sponsoring Scioto Society, Inc. D. E. Huddleston,
Inc, who took over the work in mid-November from the first general
contractor, has completed the exterior construction of all buildings
except those situated in the arcade of the rain shelter at the rear
of the amphitheatre. Construction of the massive rain shelter is

progressing very smoothly in spite of bad weather.

The outdoor drama TECUMSEH! is scheduled to premier on

50 June 1973 at the Sugarloaf Mountain Amphitheatre, situated 7 1/

miles: northeast of Chillicothe, Ohio on one of the hill masses

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SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN AMPHITHEATRE OVER 70% COMPLETE

Page 2 of 2 pages

appearing on the Great Seal of the State of Ohio. The drama
depicts the life and death of the famous Shawnee War Chief, and
Will play Tuesday through Sunday beginning at 8:45 p. m. The
climax of the drama is the Battle of Tippecanoe, involving the
participation of over one hundred persons and raging on seven
stages on three sides of the audience. The enormity of the battle,
involving three artillery pieces which fire over the heads of the
audience with simulated shell explosions in the woodlands on the

other side, has caused it to be billed as "one of the most awesome

live spectacles available to an American audience."

The original drama was written by four times Pulitzer
Prize nominee Allan W. Eckert and directed by Dr. David W. Weiss,
Chairman of the department of Speech and Drama at the University
of Virginia and a nationally recognized expert in the field of

outdoor historical drama.

TECUMSEH! has been praised by the program director for
performing arts of the New York State Council for the Performing

Arts as "a powerful theatrical statement, reaching a large, important

audience." Although scheduled to run six nights per week through

2 September 1973, officials from The Scioto Society are also
planning additional cultural events to take place during the seventh

night each week in this beautiful woodland amphitheatre.