THE LOST COLONY Live-Capture Recording To Premiere in April

America's longest-running outdoor symphonic drama THE LOST COLONY can now be witnessed through an exclusive live-capture performance premiering on April 23rd. The production features Paul Green's epic tale brought to life through dynamic staging, 3-D projections, exciting battles, evocative lighting, theatrical puppetry, and a stunning symphonic score.

The premiere of the live-capture video will be free for all to view, during which audiences will be encouraged to make donations to the Roanoke Island Historical Association (RIHA), the non-profit producing organization of The Lost Colony.

Audiences can join the pre-party premiere HERE at 6:30 PM on Wednesday April 23rd. Access to the free premiere at 7 PM will only be available to those who tune in for the pre-party.

The longest running outdoor symphonic drama, The Lost Colony tells the real-life mystery of the first English colonists who came to Roanoke Island and who mysteriously disappeared. The show takes place in the exact location where the events first took place (Manteo, NC). The show first opened in 1937, written by Paul Green, and has been running ever since.

In 2021, a re-imagined production directed by Jeff Whiting (Broadway's Scottsboro Boys, Big Fish, Bullets Over Broadway), brought together a world-class creative team to reimagine the production with a brand new symphonic score by Sam Davis (Tony Award Nomination: New York, New York) and many other new theatrical elements, including puppets by Nicholas Mahon (Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony), 3D projections by Christopher Ash (Broadway: Sunday in the Park, New York New York), in addition to authentic Native American choreography by Nakya Leviner and Native American music by Kaya Littleturtle (War Paint).

"Our main task in the reimagining of the show was to make sure The Lost Colony landed visually and emotionally with modern-day audiences while honoring the story," said the Lost Colony's director and choreographer, Jeff Whiting. "Audiences' expectations and attention spans have certainly changed over the years and I wanted to find ways to enhance the visual elements of the production in order to keep the audience engaged in the story from start to finish."

Originally told from primarily the colonists' point of view, the re-envisioned production offers a shift to include the perspective of the Native Americans involved in the story. In addition, every actor playing a Native American role is portrayed by indigenous artists.

"In re-imagining the show, a big effort was made to ensure it showed respect to all cultures involved," said Whiting. "To undertake this project, we did a lot of research and forged a great partnership with artists from the neighboring Lumbee tribe, so that the action and dialogue was not only accurate, but also respectful to all."

"To see our people on this stage is a huge victory for Indigenous people and our struggle for representation and visibility," says Cultural Advisor Kaya Littleturtle." The Lost Colony production has set the standard for what collaborative relationships are supposed to look like with Indigenous communities. This production has sparked conversations that are happening across the theatrical world and across Indian-country as an effect of what we are doing on this stage."

"The show's reimagination is really important because The Lost Colony has been the forefront of tourism on the Outer Banks since 1937," said Cindy McGann, Board Chair of Roanoke Island Historical Association. "People come to the Outer Banks to see The Lost Colony so we wanted to make sure that the production is current and viable, and that the younger audiences are interested in coming to see it. The best way to do that is to have cutting edge technology, and doing new and different things to keep their interest and attract audiences that want to come see the show."

The changes have been critically acclaimed and a hit with audiences. "Audiences have gotten to experience the show they know and love in a brand-new way," Whiting commented. "We're excited to share this live-capture with the public so they can witness this amazing company of artists and their production which brings this important historical moment to life."

Captured by Milliron Studios, The Lost Colony live-capture will appear via Streaming Musicals platform.