Unto These Hills
| Unto These Hills | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Kermit Hunter |
| Date premiered | July 1, 1950 |
| Place premiered | Cherokee, North Carolina |
| Genre | Outdoor historical drama |
Unto These Hills is an outdoor historical drama staged annually at the 2800-seat Mountainside Theatre in Cherokee, North Carolina. It is the second oldest outdoor historical drama in the United States, after The Lost Colony in Manteo, North Carolina. The first version of the play was written by Kermit Hunter. It opened at the Mountainside Theatre on July 1, 1950 to wide acclaim.
The play follows the story of the Cherokee of the Eastern region up to their removal, via the Trail of Tears, in 1838. The drama includes many notable Cherokee historic figures, including Sequoyah, Junaluska, Chief Yonaguska or Drowning Bear, and William Holland Thomas (the adopted son of Drowning Bear and the first and only white chief of the Cherokee), Selu the Corn Mother, and Kanati the Great Hunter.
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[edit] History
The play was first produced in 1950, and ran for decades at the Mountainside Theatre.[1]
Famous alumni include Michael Rosenbaum, best known for his portrayal of Lex Luthor on Smallville; Morgan Freeman; and actor and former US Representative Ben Jones of The Dukes of Hazzard .[2]
In 2006, the EBCI Tribal Government hired the playwright Hanay Geiogamah to revise the script. He did the first complete rewrite in the play’s history. A Kiowa, Geiogamah is a writer/director/producer of Native American dramas, as well as the founder of the American Indian Dance Theatre and Professor in the Department of Theater at UCLA. He was chosen to address a number of issues with the previous script, historical inaccuracies and a lack of Cherokee tribal participation in the cast. Geiogamah accepted this challenge, wrote a new script and produced a show. However, many tribal members are reportedly not fond of the new play version, as it removes much of the story telling and history of the Cherokee. He added more interpretive dance to help convey the story. In addition, many tribal members missed having the story of Tsali included in the play. He sacrificed his life so that the remainder of his Cherokee people could remain in North Carolina.
In 2007, Pat Allee and Ben Hurst wrote a new script. In 2008 changes were made by Linda West.[3] Fewer than 50,000 people saw the performance in summer 2009, about half the number from years ago. John Tissue, director of the Cherokee Historical Association, suggests economic problems as the reason for the reduced crowds. The 2010 production is credited to Linda Squirrel, and Eddie Swimmer, a Cherokee, serves as director.[1] As of 2010, over 6 million people have seen this production.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b Kiss, Tony (2010-07-09). "Head to these hills: Cherokee outdoor drama still stuns after more than 50 years". Asheville Citizen-Times. http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20100709/ENT/307090017/1037. Retrieved 2010-07-09.[dead link]
- ^ http://www.goupstate.com/article/20080710/NEWS/807100327/1097/entertainment&title=_Unto_These_Hills__wowing_another_generation
- ^ Cast of Unto These Hills, Drama by Cherokee NC
