THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, May 14, 1996 TAG: 9605140319
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
DATELINE: ROANOKE ISLAND LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
For the 56th time, 120 actors and technicians from across the country will arrive on Roanoke Island this weekend to begin rehearsals for the 1996 season of America's longest-running drama, ``The Lost Colony.''
The company will arrive on Roanoke Island beginning Friday. The first company call with director Fred Chappell will take place in Waterside Theater Sunday morning. An intensive two-week rehearsal period will begin Monday.
The entire process will culminate in the traditional Dare Night dress rehearsal performance June 5. Preview night is scheduled for June 6, and the official opening night festivities will be Friday, June 7.
``We are extremely excited about this year's company,'' said Chappell, who will arrive in Manteo this week. ``We have many new faces, both on stage and behind the scenes, and I think both locals and visitors alike will be impressed with the continued high quality of the show.''
Among the fresh faces on the stage of Waterside Theater this year will be Manteo resident Lisa Bridge as Queen Elizabeth 1; Hawaiian B.J. Merman as Sir Walter Raleigh; and Florida actress Noelle Krimm in the demanding role of Eleanor Dare.
Backstage, Agnes Albright will take on the responsibilities of production stage manager. New York resident Hank Hale, who played Simon Fernando for several years in the early 1990s, will return this year as technical director.
``The Lost Colony'' is one of the Outer Banks largest seasonal employers with a summer roster of nearly 200 people. Nearly 80,000 people will attend the drama this year, having an estimated economic impact on the Dare county community of $22 million in visitor dollars.
The production runs June 6 through Aug. 23, nightly except Saturdays in historic Waterside Theater at Fort Raleigh National Historic Site. For more information on the 1996 season, or for tickets, call 473-3414 or (800) 488-5012. by CNB