Unto These Hills
Unto These Hills | |
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Written by | Kermit Hunter; Hanay Geiogamah; Pat Allee, Ben Hurst and Linda Hurst |
Date premiered | July 1, 1950 |
Place premiered | Cherokee, North Carolina |
Genre | Outdoor historical drama |
Unto These Hills is an outdoor historical drama during summers at the 2,800-seat Mountainside Theatre in
The play recounts the history of the Cherokee of the Eastern region up to their
History
The
The play has run for more than 70 years at the Mountainside Theatre, which is owned and operated by the Cherokee Historical Association.[1] It is staged Monday through Saturday evenings.
Famous alumni of Unto These Hills include
In 2006, the EBCI Tribal Government hired playwright Hanay Geiogamah (Kiowa) to revise the script, the first complete rewrite since the play was instituted. 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 the University of California, Los Angeles. Geiogamah was chosen to address a number of issues with the previous script, including historical inaccuracies. He was also encouraged to increase Cherokee tribal participation in the cast. Geiogamah accepted this challenge, wrote a new script, and produced a show. But many tribal members were reportedly not fond of the new play version, saying that it removed the Cherokee style of story telling and their history in this area.[citation needed] Geiogamah had added more interpretive dance to help convey the story. In addition, many tribal members missed having the story of Tsali included in the play.[citation needed] He is believed to have sacrificed his life in battle to gain approval for the remainder of his Cherokee people to stay in their homeland of North Carolina, at a time of conflict with European Americans.
In 2007, the tribe hired Pat Allee and Ben Hurst to write a new script. In 2008, additional changes were made by Linda West.
In 2015, it was announced that the original Kermit Hunter script from 1950 would be brought out of retirement. Several changes were made to make the original script more historically accurate. Many attendees have been well pleased to see the original version of the show.
In 2020, the production announced that the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the first time the drama did not have a production season. The drama returned to their normal operating schedule in May 2021.
Sequel
The Cherokee Nation hired Hunter to write a sequel, The Trail of Tears, covering the period during and after the removal to Indian Territory in what became the state of Oklahoma. That drama was performed at a large outdoor amphitheater at the Cherokee Heritage Center (then known as Tsa-La-Gi), from 1969 through 2005.[4]
See also
- Snow Camp Outdoor Theater
- Lost Colony
- Horn in the West
References
- ^ a b Kiss, Tony (July 9, 2010). "Head to these hills: Cherokee outdoor drama still stuns after more than 50 years". Asheville Citizen-Times. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
- ^ "'Unto These Hills' wowing another generation". GoUpstate.com (Press release). July 10, 2008.
- ^ Bender, Albert (December 5, 2008). "Unto These Hills: A Retelling - Now a rescripted version of gripping Cherokee Drama". IndianCountryNews.com. Cherokee, North Carolina. Retrieved August 17, 2021.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Rowley, D. Sean (September 5, 2020). "CHC amphitheater was something to remember". Cherokee Phoenix.
External links
- Unto These Hills at visitcherokeenc.com