The play is based on Helen Hunt Jackson's 1884 novel "Ramona," which was written to expose the mistreatment of Native Americans in Southern California.
Southern playwright and Lost Colony author Paul Green and musician Lamar Stringfield provided the book and music for the production, which was originally only intended to run for one season.
By then, America's first outdoor symphonic drama was a critical and popular success, proof that "people's theatre" could work.
By the 1950s, North Carolina led the nation in outdoor dramas, with other notable productions including Unto These Hills at Cherokee and Horn in the West at Boone among others.
[4] The Lost Colony was presented with a Tony Honor for Excellence in Theatre in 2013, recognizing the enduring appeal of the form.