Performance Series

The Roanoke Island Festival Park Performance Series is available to all campuses of the University of North Carolina system as well as community-based non-profit performing arts groups supported with state or local funding. The talent is top-notch, and the drama, music and dance performances are free and open to the public.

2010 Roanoke Island Festival Park Performance Series Calendar

University of North Carolina- Pembroke Presents Steel Magnolias

March 13 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Indoor Theatre

The University Theatre of The University of North Carolina at Pembroke is part of the English and Theatre Department. A faculty of five and a staff of two support their small program of approximately 20 theatre majors at any onetime. As a small, liberal arts program, students participate in many different phases of theatre production, from costume, scenic and lighting design to technical theatre as well as acting, directing and house management. The primary theatre is the main stage of the modern Givens Performing Arts Center, a 1600 seat facility with up to date theatre technology. The department produces two plays and one musical each year as well as smaller shows which students direct. Some recent productions have included: The Laramie Project, Macbeth, You Can’t Take It with You, The Dining Room, Once upon a Mattress and Guys and Dolls. UNC Pembroke is known for its small classes and personal touch which is continued in our theatre program.

Western Carolina University Presents Gamelan

April 3 at 2 and 7 p.m.
Indoor Theatre

Two Central Javanese gamelan concerts will be held in the Indoor Theatre at Roanoke Island Festival Park on Saturday, April 3, at 2 and 7 p.m. Both shows will feature examples of traditional Javanese music and contemporary pieces written for gamelan by American composers. Many find the gentle repeating cycles of the Central Javanese style of music to be restful and contemplative. There also will be a hands-on opportunity for the audience to play a set of angklung (tuned bamboo rattles) during the show. After the concerts, the audience is welcome to come to the stage to try out the gamelan instruments themselves. The 2 p.m. show will be geared toward a younger audience.
The gamelan has been a part of the music program at WCU for the last ten years. It all began when the slendro gamelan and the iron degung gamelan were purchased on ebay by Dr. Will Peebles for use at WCU in March 1999. Since then the department has produced 10 years of concerts and workshops, traveling to elementary and high schools, colleges, and universities to introduce the sights and sounds of Indonesian gamelan music.

University of North Carolina- Greensboro Presents an Old Time Music Ensemble

April 17 at 2 and 7 p.m.
Indoor Theatre

Don’t miss this creative group of fiddle-playing, banjo-picking, accordion-squeezing, washboard-strumming musicians. Formed in spring 2008 as part of UNCG’S expanding program in ethnomusicology, the Old Time Ensemble’s mission is to bring the traditional folk music of North Carolina and the United States into the School of Music giving students an opportunity to explore music that has been central to American culture for generations. The over 20 members of the Old Time Ensemble include students and faculty members spanning a broad range of musical backgrounds, which give the group strength and creative diversity. Although most of the group’s members are formally trained, the Old Time Ensemble is based on the idea that oral and aural traditions should also be part of every musician’s education. The group learns all its music by ear, through careful listening and repetition, the way folk music has been learned for centuries. This approach has helped the group to establish a musical rapport that allows the ensemble to perform a wide range of music with equal amounts of respect and irreverence, formality and fun.

A concert by the Old Time Ensemble features a wide range of genres and styles, from exciting jug band blues like “Cornbread and Butterbeans” to unaccompanied murder ballads like “Down By the Greenwood Sidey,” and from rousing fiddle tunes like “Over the Waterfall,” to favorite sing-along spirituals like “I’ll Fly Away,” and everything else that can be called traditional American music. The selections include: waltzes and polkas; work songs; sea chanteys and children’s songs. Some of the group’s members will even perform a demonstration of traditional clogging. Members of the Ensemble research the background of each song making their concerts not just performances of music, but also opportunities for storytelling and for exploring the history of our state and country. This is a great chance for adults and children of all ages to hear and participate in traditional North Carolina folk music. So be ready to join in, clap your hands and sing along to music that brings the history of our country to life!

Western Carolina University Presents the Catamount Singers and Electric Soul instrumental group

May 15 at 2 and 7 p.m.
Indoor Theatre

The Western Carolina University Catamount Singers and Electric Soul instrumental group will present a program of popular music in the Indoor Theater at Roanoke Island Festival Park in Manteo on Saturday, May 15, at 2 and 7 PM. The hour-long program entitled "Don't Stop the Music" features current musical hits made popular by performers such as Alicia Keys and Rihanna, and will include a tribute to classic pop artists Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, and more.

North Carolina Central University Presents Little Shop of Horrors

May 25, 26, and 27 at 8 p.m.
“Meet the Cast”— May 25 at 2pm
May 26 and 27 at 2 p.m. “A La Carte Afternoons”
Indoor Theatre

North Carolina Central University Theatre Department rocks its last production of the 2009-2010 Season, which commemorates its 60th anniversary, with 3 performances at Roanoke Island Festival Parks Outdoor Pavilion on May 25, 26 and 27 at 8 p.m. This smashing Broadway musical comedy, “Little Shop of Horrors,” a satirical rock musical, guarantees a high-energy, head-bopping, hand-clapping evening that will leave you wanting more! The event is part of the RIFP Performance Series and is free and open to the public. Also don’t miss the free opportunity to “Meet the Cast” of the show on May 25 at 2 p.m. and on May 26 and 27, at 2 p.m., enjoy an “A La Carte Afternoon” which will showcase the talents of the cast.

The production invites you into the crazy, fanatical, exciting world of Skid Row. The kooky cast of characters consists of a rotten dentist, Orin Scrivello (Alexander Jackson), the hip doo wop girls Chiffon (Tiffany Agerston), Ronnette (Ariel Griffin), and Crystal (LaDehra Alston), The Plant Shop Owner Mr. Musnick (Corwin Evans), a simple city girl, Audrey (Jessica Jones), and her timid co-worker Seymour Krelborn (Tyrone Gooding Jr.). Together the technical designers, production staff, and cast have created an electrifying production including upbeat sounds of doo-wop and Motown, written by Howard Ashman and composed by Alan Menken, and under the direction of Theatre Professor, Irving Truitt. Come and celebrate the amazing “Little Shop of Horrors”!

North Carolina A&T University Presents Broadway Unleashed!

June 5 at 2 and 7 p.m.
Indoor Theatre

Come join North Carolina A&T State University’s Theatre Arts Program featuring the National Award Winning Richard B. Harrison Players as they perform some of Broadway’s Best. This energetic group of performers will make you want to clap, sing and dance in the aisles. Watch as these talented students strut their stuff performing gospel, jazz, blues and show tunes with style and grace. Don’t miss North Carolina A&T’s Richard B Harrison Players uncompromising, undeniable, unadulterated, unleashed ….BROADWAY!

East Carolina University Presents The Fantasticks

June 15, 16, 17 at 7 p.m.
Indoor Theatre

The Fantasticks is a 1960 musical with music by Harvey Schmidt and lyrics by Tom Jones. It was produced by Lore Noto. It tells an allegorical story, loosely based on the play "The Romancers" ("Les Romanesques") by Edmond Rostand [1], concerning two neighboring fathers who put up a wall between their houses to ensure that their children fall in love, because they know children always do what their parents forbid. After the children do fall in love, they discover their fathers' plot and they each go off and experience things in the world. They return to each other and the love they had, having learned from the world and made an informed decision. Elements of the play are ultimately drawn from the story of Pyramus and Thisbe, its story winding its way through Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream as well as Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore and Rostand's play.

East Carolina University Presents Moonshine and Molasses

June 22, 23, 24 at 8 p.m.
Outdoor Pavilion

Moonshine and Molasses, is a full-length contemporary dance to the folk-rock music of Uncle Mountain. This is a large contemporary dance production featuring 16 dancers and a five-piece band. Tommi Overcash Galaska, an instructor and choreographer at East Carolina University, says that the performance combines dance with drama. “Each song tells a different story. And the relationships are dictated by the music. The whole work is about relationships – love stories.” For Galaska, the music of Uncle Mountain brings to mind childhood memories with her family. Through the dance and drama combination, the performance seeks to make the sounds of Uncle Mountain come alive. The production of Moonlight and Molasses includes 16 dancers. Uncle Mountain, a five-piece band, will perform live for the dance.

East Carolina University Presents Cohan; a tribute to George M Cohan

June 29 30 and July1 at 8 p.m.
Outdoor Pavilion

George Michael Cohan ( July 3, 1878–November 5, 1942), known professionally as George M. Cohan, was an American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer and producer. Cohan started his career as a child performing with his parents and sister in vaudeville as "The Four Cohans". He quickly started writing songs and skits, and went on to write over 1500 songs in his lifetime. He both wrote, produced and starred in many musicals on Broadway. Cohan was one of the founders of ASCAP. Some of his many popular songs include "Over There", "Give My Regards to Broadway" and "The Yankee Doodle Boy". Beginning with Little Johnny Jones in 1904, Cohan wrote and starred in over three dozen Broadway shows, continuing to perform until 1940. He also appeared in films, including The Phantom President in 1932. Known in the decade before World War I as "the man who owned Broadway", he is considered the father of American musical comedy. His life and music were depicted in the Academy Award-winning film Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and the 1968 musical George M!. A statue of Cohan is in Times Square in New York City.

Western Carolina University Presents Sesame Street

July 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15 at 10:30 a.m.
Indoor Theatre

Western Carolina University’s Musical Theatre Program will present performances of “Sesame Street Children’s Show” on July 6, 7, 8, 13, 14, and 15, at 10:30 a.m. The performances will take place in the indoor theatre at Roanoke Island Festival Park and are a part of Rifp’s Performance Series. The performances are free and open to the public.

Come visit with some of the characters from the beloved television favorite Sesame Street as they host the show that will showcase songs from other children’s learning musicals. The show will not only entertain young children but will also offer many engaging learning opportunities. Children will delight in seeing some of the Sesame Street characters come to life on the stage.

Western Carolina University, located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, offers 220 undergraduate majors and concentrations and more than 40 graduate programs to approximately 9,500 students. Nestled adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains, Western Carolina is focused on quality education and preparation for responsible citizenship in a changing world. The Musical Theatre Program is part of WCU’s College of Fine and Performing Arts, which includes a School of Stage and Screen, School of Music, and School of Art and Design.

Western Carolina University Presents Charlie Brown

July 6, 7, 8 at 8 p.m.
Outdoor Pavilion- in the event of rain the performance will be moved to the Indoor Theatre

Western Carolina University’s Musical Theatre Program will present three performances of “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown” on July 6, 7, and 8, at 8 p.m. The performances will take place in the Pavilion at Roanoke Island Festival Park and are a part of RIFP’s Performance Series. In the event of rain, the performance will be moved to the Indoor Theatre. “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown” is based on the comic strip “Peanuts” by Charles Schulz that remains a beloved entertainment for both children and adults. The performances are free and open to the public.

Originally debuted on Broadway in 1967, the current show of “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown” was re-envisioned in 1999. It has also won two Tony awards and three Drama Desk awards. In the show, visitors will delight in the antics of all the lovable characters, from Charlie to Linus to Snoopy and others. The audience will be captivated by Charlie’s search for love, Linus and his blanket, and Snoopy’s battles with the Red Baron. The Charlie Brown shows will provide great entertainment for the whole family and community and will evoke nostalgia in longtime “Peanuts” fans. The performances will be outside and seating will be on the grass, so visitors are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs, and picnics for a night of family fun. Western Carolina University, located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, was established in 1889 to bring quality education to the people of Western North Carolina.

Western Carolina University Presents I Love a Piano (Irving Berlin Review)

July 13, 14, 15 at 8 p.m.
Outdoor Pavilion- in the event of rain the performance will be moved to the Indoor Theatre

Western Carolina University’s Musical Theatre Program will present three performances of “I Love a Piano” on July 13, 14, and 15, at 8 p.m. in the Pavilion at Roanoke Island Festival Park. They are a part of RIFP’s Performance Series. In the event of rain, the performances will be moved to the Indoor Theatre and are free and open to the public. Celebrating the classic works of Irving Berlin, “I Love a Piano” is a tribute to America in song.

“I Love a Piano” follows one piano’s journey throughout America and its people from the turn of the nineteenth century to today. The cast will perform many of Berlin’s songs, including “I Love a Piano,” “Blue Skies,” “How Deep is the Ocean,” and “God Bless America.” This event provides great family entertainment as the performers weave together a musical journey of America and one of its most beloved entertainers, Irving Berlin. . Western Carolina University, located in Cullowhee, North Carolina, was established in 1889 to bring quality education to the people of Western North Carolina.

University of North Carolina - Greensboro Presents Gilbert & Sullivan

September 18 at 2 and 7 p.m.
Indoor Theatre

Showcasing the works of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, the shows will bring pirates, sailors, fairies, ghosts, geishas, and more to the stage. Presented works during the productions include The Mikado, H.M.S. Pinafore, and The Pirates of Penzance. “A Celebration of Gilbert and Sullivan” and its twenty member cast will delight fans and newcomers to the charming lyrics of Gilbert combined with the memorable tunes of Sullivan.

North Carolina Central University Presents a Jazz Combo

October 16 at 2 and 7 p.m.
Indoor Theatre

Check back soon for event details.

North Carolina A&T University Presents Dance

October 30 at 2 and 7 p.m.
Indoor Theatre

Check back soon for event details.

North Carolina A&T University presents a Musical program

November 6 at 2 and 7 p.m.
Indoor Theatre

Check back soon for event details.

University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill presents Opera

November 20 at 2 and 7 p.m.
Indoor Theatre

Check back soon for event details.

Elizabeth City State University Presents a Christmas Choir

December 11 at 2 and 7 p.m.
Indoor Theatre

Check back soon for event details.

For more information, call (252) 475-1500 or email FestivalParkInformation@ncdcr.gov.

Next>> 4th Sunday @ 4 Music Series