Long-running play ‘The Lost Colony’ cancels 83rd season due to coronavirus pandemic

One of the nation’s longest running theater productions — a play centered on the mysterious “The Lost Colony” of Roanoke Island — canceled its 83rd season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Roanoke Island Historical Association announced the decision on Facebook, explaining the outbreak made it impossible to move forward without endangering the health of the cast, crew and audience.

Coronavirus is both highly contagious and potentially fatal, with 1.4 million infections and 83,000 deaths worldwide, according to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University.

“This is the first canceled season since World War II in 1944 and comes as a result of the ongoing challenges posed by the COVID-19 virus,” RIHA Board Chair Kevin Bradley said in the release.

“These are difficult times and that creates an environment where difficult decisions are required. And this certainly was a difficult decision for our Board of Directors to make – but I believe the correct one in light of what our community is facing.”

“The Lost Colony,” which is performed outdoors, is considered the “grandfather of all outdoor dramas” with a script based on one of the world’s most enduring mysteries: In 1587, just over 100 men, women and children landed at Roanoke Island, N.C., to create the “first permanent English settlement in the New World.”

“Just three years later in 1590, when English ships returned to bring supplies, they found the island deserted with no sign of the colonists,” the play’s Website says.

The only clue was “a single word— ‘Croatoan’— carved into a wooden post,” reports History.com.

“Croatoan was the name of an island south of Roanoke that was home to a Native American tribe of the same name,” History.com says. “Investigations into the fate of the ‘Lost Colony’ of Roanoke have continued over the centuries, but no one has come up with a satisfactory answer.”

Play organizers say they considered delaying the season, but realized “there was no definitive indication that social restrictions will be lifted before June 1” and by then it would be too late in the season.

“Reports are also circulating about colleges and universities adjusting start times, and since a large percentage of our cast is comprised of college students, we could be faced with a loss of our cast earlier than usual,” the board posted.

“Like all businesses, we will need to make difficult decisions, but we have a plan that will allow us to be ready for the 2021 season. ... We will leverage this down time to become stronger and better resourced as we move forward.”