About

The Institute of Outdoor Drama (IOD) is a public service agency of the University of North Carolina, based in the College of Fine Arts and Communications at East Carolina University.  We provide services to organizations who produce theatre in outdoor settings including historical dramas, Shakespeare festivals, religious dramas, and a rich variety of musicals and plays.  Founded in 1963 in the United States, the IOD now welcomes theatres from around the world.

We serve four primary constituent groups:

  1. Members who pay annual dues and participate in our conferences, auditions, public information and research projects
  2. Other outdoor theatres with an interest in our programs and networking opportunities and who may wish to become members in the future
  3. Actors, directors, designers and technicians with experience or interest in outdoor theatre work
  4. Members of the public or press seeking information about performances and theatres in different parts of the world

The services provided by the Institute to its members include:

  • The annual conference
  • Unified Auditions/Interviews for performers and technicians
  • Research and publications on matters of interest to the membership, including attendance statistics, audience surveys, economic impact studies, technological developments, cultural tourism and marketing trends
  • An interactive website to facilitate networking and exchange of ideas, job postings, classified ads and best practices in the field
  • Feasibility studies for new theatres provided by teams of professional consultants and ongoing development assistance for communities wishing to establish outdoor theatres
  • Consultations to member companies in all areas of theatre management, strategic planning, board retreats, executive search and special projects
  • Public information and promotions of the outdoor entertainment experiences provided by its members
  • Liaison with other national and international arts services and tourism organizations, government agencies and unions
  • Economic Impact studies
  • Awards programs

Perhaps the most valued benefit of membership in IOD is the network it provides for theatre professionals to share information, opportunities, common challenges and expertise.

Original Institute Conference in Chapel Hill, NC, 1963

The Institute is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of its founding this year, having been established in 1963 at the University of North Carolina. A public service agency of the College of Fine Arts and Communication at East Carolina University, the IOD is the only service organization providing leadership in fostering artistic and managerial excellence and expansion of outdoor drama through training, networking, research and advisory programs. The Institute serves as a clearinghouse for its member theatre companies around the world.

The Institute gathers information related to outdoor writing, management, and production and distributes that information to production companies, planners, the news media and artists in the field. It works with writers, lawyers, directors, architects, managers, promoters, performers and designers, and experts in marketing and travel.

You can find additional information about each member in the Member Portfolio section.

  • A Company of Fools Theatre
  • Accademia Dei Licini – Teatro Licinium
  • African American Cultural Complex
  • Aletheia University
  • American Heritage Living Hist. Prod
  • American Players Theatre
  • American Shakespeare Center
  • Bard on the Beach (AU)
  • Bleu Moon Productions
  • Blue Man Group
  • Canadian Badlands Passion Play
  • Center for Sustainable Tourism
  • Cherokee Historical Assoc.
  • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
  • Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (NY)
  • City of Geneva
  • City of Geneva
  • Collaborative Arts Theatre
  • Colorado Shakespeare Festival
  • Commonwealth Shakespeare Company
  • Cowboy Capital Productions
  • Crossnore School
  • Dave Avant (Santa Fe Journeys)
  • David Weiss
  • Deco Arts, Inc.
  • Door Shakespeare
  • DSF Festival
  • ECU School of Theatre and Dance
  • EmilyAnn Theatre and Gardens
  • Freewill Shakespeare Festival
  • Gamut Theatre Group
  • Gensler Architects
  • Halifax County Historical Drama
  • Happy Canyon Co,Inc.
  • Heart of America Shakespeare Festival
  • HSJ Group, LLC
  • Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival
  • Idaho Shakespeare Festival
  • Illinois Shakespeare Festival
  • Institute of Outdoor Drama
  • Institute of Outdoor Drama
  • Jenny Wiley Theatre
  • Jump the Sound
  • Kentucky Conservatory Theatre/SummerFest
  • Kentucky Shakespeare Festival
  • Kingsmen Shakespeare Company
  • Kitsap Forest Theater/Mountaineers Players
  • Lincoln Amphitheatre
  • Marin Shakespeare Company
  • Mark Sumner
  • Matewan Drama Group
  • McArts
  • Miracle Worker, The (Helen Keller Birthplace)
  • Montford Park Players
  • Nebraska Shakespeare Festival
  • Of Eagles and Wolves
  • Ohio Historical Drama Assoc. Inc.
  • Oklahoma Shakespeare in the Park
  • Old Colony Players
  • Oregon Shakespeare Festival
  • Original Practice Shakespeare
  • Ozark Mountain Players
  • Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire
  • Picture in Scripture Amphitheater
  • Pine Knob Theatre
  • Pioneer Playhouse
  • Power and Light Productions
  • Ramona Bowl Amphitheatre
  • Roanoke Island Historical Association
  • Rochester Community Players
  • Salado Legends
  • Scott Parker
  • Seattle Shakespeare Festival/Wooden O
  • Serenbe Playhouse
  • Shady Shakespeare Theatre Company
  • Shakespeare by the Sea
  • Shakespeare by the Sea Festival
  • Shakespeare in Clark Park
  • Shakespeare in Delaware Park
  • Shakespeare WA (Western Australia)
  • Sleepy Hollow Theatre & Arts Park
  • Snow Camp Outdoor Theatre
  • Southern Appalachian Historical Association
  • St. Lawrence Shakespeare Festival
  • Stephen Foster
  • Sycamore Shoals Historic Area
  • Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation
  • The Aracoma Story, Inc.
  • The Elna M. Smith Foundation
  • The Living Word Outdoor Drama, Inc.
  • The Mid-Atlantic Foundation
  • The National Botanical Garden of Wales
  • The Old Homestead
  • The Scioto Society Inc.
  • Theatre in the Park
  • Theatre Under the Stars (Vancouver)
  • Theatre Under the Stars NH
  • Theatre West Virginia
  • Trail of the Lonesome Pine
  • Utah Shakespeare Festival
  • Venture Industries
  • Walk in the Light Productions Inc.
  • Washington Crossing Open Air Theatre
  • William Ivey Long Studios
  • World Communities Theater Center

 

Mr. Mark R. Sumner

Mark R. Sumner

 

In 1990, the Institute of Outdoor Drama established the Mark R. Sumner Award to honor  his lifetime contribution in the field of outdoor drama. The award recognizes significant contributions by an individual to a specific drama, or to the outdoor drama movement as a whole, including but not limited to playwriting, directing, acting, design, theater architecture, patronage, scholarship, musical composition, technology and innovation, producing and administration. This award has been presented annually at the National Conference on Outdoor Drama, held in October.

 

Award Recipients

  • 2012 – Jackie Mills, Founder-Playwright, Salado Legends, Texas
  • 2011 - Scott J. Parker, Director Emeritus, Institute of Outdoor Drama, North Carolina
  • 2010 – William R. Winkler, III, Board Chairman, Horn in the West, North Carolina
  • 2009 – James E. Wilson, Founder and General Manager/Producer, Snow Camp Outdoor Theatre, North Carolina
  • 2008 – Gayle Bowling , General Manager, Theatre West Virginia, West Virginia
  • 2007 – Anne “Si” Arnold, Costumer, Stephen Foster – The Musical, Kentucky
  • 2006 – Mark Hofflund, Managing Director, Idaho Shakespeare Festival, Idaho
  • 2005 – Barbara Polly , Producer, Trail of the Lonesome Pine, Virginia
  • 2004 – Dennis Anderson , Artistic Director, Ramona and San Jacinto Valley Shakespeare Festival, California
  • 2003 – Larry D. Gustke, Assoc. Professor, NC State University, North Carolina
  • 2002 – *Fred Alley, Artistic Director/Founder, American Folklore Theatre, Wisconsin
  • 2001 – Tina Packer, Artistic Director/Founder, Shakespeare &  Company, Massachusetts
  • 2000 – Marion N. Waggoner, Producer/Artistic Director, Tecumseh!, Ohio
  • 1999 – William M. Hardy, Director, Unto These Hills, North Carolina
  • 1998 – Fred C. Adams, Founder, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Utah
  • 1997 – *W.L. “Rusty” Mundell, Founder, Tecumseh!, Ohio
  • 1996 – David W. Weiss, Director and Designer of 15 outdoor dramas, Virginia
  • 1995 –* William W. Patton, Executive Director, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Oregon
  • 1994 –* Josef Meier, Founder, The Black Hills Passion Play, South Dakota
  • 1993 –* Kermit Hunter, Playwright of 43 outdoor dramas, Texas
  • 1992 –* Raymond Railard, General Manager, TEXAS, Texas
  • 1991 – *Bert Ballard, General Manager, The Stephen Foster Story, Kentucky

         (* Deceased)