Outer Banks Forum’s 40th
By John Buford
In Back In The Day, , OBX Community
Outer Banks Forum Celebrates a 40-Year Wave
Photos Courtesy of the Outer Banks Forum
When Charles Hermann, a WWII veteran and retired engineer, gathered a group of friends at the Kitty Hawk Fire Station in 1983 to highlight his vision of bringing top quality entertainment to the Outer Banks, who could have dreamed 40 years later, his vision was not only a reality but an amazing success?
With a year-round population under 10,000 and a steadily growing tourist economy, the Outer Banks at that time was on the precipice of possibilities. Together, a small group of volunteers and local businesses believed that the Outer Banks, home to beautiful beaches, needed beautiful performing arts too! It was an ambitious project given that there was no funding or concert space for their plan. However, the volunteers rallied around an idea and in true Outer Banks fashion, the locals turned an idea into 40 years of the Outer Banks Forum for the Lively Arts.
History was made forty years ago when, in 1983, the Outer Banks Forum presented an ambitious series of performances. The Forum volunteers were thankful that the beach was all the payment needed to lure performers. The inaugural season included nine performances featuring a flutist, pianist, choir from Northern Virginia, Mark Twain impersonator, an Air Force Quintet, and several more. It was a hit that needed repeating. So they did!
The Forum continued to grow in the next two decades, bringing a diverse series of performers, lecturers, and theatrical groups to the area. A mutually beneficial partnership with Dare County Schools allowed the group to use the school for performances.
Local performers helped bolster offerings by the Forum in the early years. In this photo, Brass Menagerie, a brass quintet, rehearses before an upcoming 1993 holiday performance for the Outer Banks Forum. The professionally trained local musicians included Ken Forney (trumpet), Jerry Manolas (trombone), Dock Sawyer (tuba), Roy Murray (French Horn), and Rowland Shock (trumpet).
Granted nonprofit (501c3) status in 1988, the Outer Banks Forum became a self-supporting and stable organization. True to the Outer Banks way, locals came together with an idea and worked together to make it happen. In 1991, the Forum’s orientation shifted to musical and theatrical entertainment. Performers were initially selected from local residents, and admission was free. The Southern Shores Volunteer Fire Department set up folding chairs for a typical audience of 125 people. Now known as the Outer Banks Forum for the Lively Arts, the performing arts series continues to grow.
A season subscription of $25 for four shows was initiated to fund performers from other areas. In addition to ticket revenue, grants and Outer Banks business sponsors helped pay expenses. Local residents and Forum Board members contributed by providing bed and board for visiting performers. Portable stage extensions, stored off-season in a boat shed, were constructed to accommodate larger acts like the Virginia Symphony.
The Forum continued to grow with membership drives and ticket sales. For the 1995-96 season, season tickets for six performances were still only $30.
Local partnerships are woven into the Forum’s 40-year history too.
The 39th Season Opening of The Outer Banks Forum for the Lively Arts featured a sold-out performance of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra made possible by a collaboration with the Don and Catherine Bryan Cultural Series.
A gala fundraiser in March of 1992 launched the Theatre of Dare and invested seed money from the Forum for its future. Students from Dare County Schools have benefited from countless free performances brought to the beach by the Forum. A hands-on internship program provides experience for Dare County students. The Forum also awards scholarships annually to students involved in the performing arts. And since 2004, thanks to the local school system, the beautiful performing arts space at First Flight High showcases the quality performers brought here by the Forum.
Throughout their 40 years, The Forum has brought quality entertainment to the Outer Banks such as: The Vienna Boys Choir, Canadian Brass, Linda Lavin, Virginia Symphony, Maureen McGovern, Billy Stritch Trio, The Richmond Ballet, Molly Tuttle, Swingle Singers, Jason Marsalis, Chanticleer, PDQ Bach and much more!
Hermann would be proud to see how things have changed since 1984. Audience size has grown, and talent now comes from around the world. But locals are still at the heart of the Forum, with an all-volunteer Board steering the course for a bright future.
