THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 30, 1995 TAG: 9507270225
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 12 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: John Harper
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
``Elizabeth R'' is headed for England.
Local playwright Labame Houston's intimate look at the life of Queen Elizabeth I opens the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland on Aug. 12. Barbara Hird, who plays Queen Elizabeth in ``The Lost Colony,'' stars in the one-woman play that will run for 22 consecutive days.
First performed as part of the ``Roanoke Decoded'' international symposium in 1993, the play enjoyed a successful 1994 summer run at the Pioneer Theatre in Manteo. After that, Hird and Houston took the production on the road in the Mid-Atlantic states.
With funding from the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation, Carolina Telephone and the Dare County Tourist Bureau, ``Elizabeth R'' will also be performed twice at Old Palace Hatfield in the south of England on Sept. 12 and 13. Hird says these shows may scare up some ghosts.
``Elizabeth lived there in the 16th century,'' Hird says, laughing. ``I hope she approves of the show.''
Houston says this will be the first play performed in the palace since the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
But the British and Scottish audiences will not be seeing the completely-in-charge queen in the flowing royal garb barking orders to Sir Walter Raleigh. Instead, Houston shows the queen in her civvies, alone in an alcove in the Royal Palace at Richmond struggling with the challenges of a woman living in the man's world of the 16th century.
``You really see Elizabeth, the woman,'' Houston says. ``And with that you see a woman wrestling with her feelings, but knowing that she has an important place in history.''
While most Americans know the story of Elizabeth's attempt to establish a colony on Roanoke Island in the New World, the audiences in the United Kingdom may view the play as a history lesson.
``You have to remember that most of 16th century England was concerned about the Spanish Armada,'' Hird says. ``A lot of people there don't know much about Sir Walter Raleigh's colony.''
And what will be the reaction in the British Isles to Houston and Hird's up-close and personal look at Queen Elizabeth I?
``We think it will stir up some historical dust,'' Hird says. ``But we both expect it to be well-received.'' Surfing The Radio Dial
Listen for the ``WYND,'' coming soon to a radio near you. Hatteras Island's first commercial radio station should be on the air by the first week in August, according to Coastal Broadcasting Co. Inc. president Ken Mann.
Coastal Broadcasting, which also owns WNHW-Carolina 92 in Nags Head, is building the 100,000-watt station in Buxton. WYND will provide one of the few strong signals to reach residents on the lower end of Hatteras Island.
Initially, WYND-98.1 will simulcast WNHW's country format. But the station will have the capability to generate original programming. Mann says the station will broadcast local news and Cape Hatteras sports.
``We'll be doing a lot of things other commercial stations don't do,'' Mann says. ``Like lost dogs. We really want to serve the people.''
The new voice at WNHW belongs to Jack Parrish, most recently the overnight man at WVOD in Manteo. Parrish, a relative newcomer to radio, plays Sir Walter Raleigh in ``The Lost Colony.''
Don Ray Wornstaff is the new operations manager at WOBR-95.3 in Wanchese. He replaces Lee Lovingood, who moved to WVOD in Manteo. The lineup at adult contemporary WOBR is Nancy Travers in the morning, Wornstaff in the midday and Dan Preston in the afternoon slot. Newcomer Steve Ellis handles the station's only daily on location ``beach reports.'' ILLUSTRATION: File photo
Barbara Hird playes ``Elizabeth R.''
by CNB