“The Lost Colony” had dramatized American mythology in the Outer Banks since 1937 with White actors as Indians. Now, Native performers are rewriting the story.
quickly drew hundreds of signatures demanding action. When the pandemic shut down production of the play for the year, the historical association decided to act. Playwright David Thompson, who was nominated for a Tony this year for “New York, New York,” reworked parts of Green’s script. New director Jeff Whiting overhauled the production. And a Native American, Kaya Littleturtle, whose grandmother now plays the storyteller role, came in as cultural coordinator.
Kaya Littleturtle worked to build trust in the Native community to recruit performers, including his grandmother, a well-known tribal storyteller. He grew up near Pembroke, N.C., among the Lumbee people, and has deep connections to the circuit of powwows around the state and beyond. While most of the White actors affect English accents, the Indian players use their natural voices — and most have a distinct Carolina lilt.
“It was doing redface — period, end of story,” McGinnis said, expressing regret over his single year playing an Indian. “It certainly enhances the story, having the appropriate people play the appropriate roles.”But changes to the play go beyond the actors. Littleturtle helped refresh the production itself. A major battle scene has been reconceived as a clash of large animal puppets fashioned from tree branches.
This year, Kaya Littleturtle approached the actor portraying Manteo, 21-year-old Nakya Leviner, and asked whether he felt comfortable with the character, who could be viewed as selling out his people. “He said he felt like there should be something to highlight his viewpoint more,” Littleturtle said.They spoke with Whiting, the director.
Still, the executive director, said attendance is slightly down from 2021 but holding steady — though nothing like the peak of the 1990s, when vacationers had fewer entertainment choices and attendance was double current levels.
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