Finding The Lost Colony (1937): Paul Green, Symphonic Drama, and the History of a Collaboration

Finding The Lost Colony (1937): Paul Green, Symphonic Drama, and the History of a Collaboration Public Deposited

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Creator

Bentley, Christa Anne
- Affiliation: College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Music

Abstract

In 1937, Paul Green wrote and produced The Lost Colony, a drama about the mysterious disappearance of the Roanoke Colony in 1587 on North Carolina's Outer Banks. As he was writing, Green envisioned The Lost Colony as a new genre of theater, calling it a symphonic drama. To achieve this, Green enlisted the help of composer Lamar Stringfield and arranger Adeline McCall. The play includes Elizabethan carols and Native American dances, creating a musical background thought to portray a realistic historical setting. In addition to examining the ideas behind symphonic drama, I explore the musical identity that The Lost Colony creates for the state of North Carolina within the context of the New South. Furthermore, I examine The Lost Colony within the frame of the Federal Theatre Project, exploring the intersections of regional projects and national trends.

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