Karen, of Joe Papp, has full day of screenings in Dare County, North Carolina

The Outer Banks, NC -- 9/12/12
By Karen Thorsen

Up 7 AM, just enough time for a quick walk on the beach, watching pelicans dive for breakfast at sunrise, then my own breakfast (make-your-own Belgian waffle, compliments of Day’s Inn) before heading off for a full day of activities with Richard Martin, the President of the Arts Council Board and a most excellent tour guide.
· Stop #1: back on Roanoke Island, the amazing Elizabethan Gardens – a 12-acre jewel of 16th-century plantings, sunken gardens, fountains and statuary, even an authentically-thatched gazebo, all on water’s edge, in honor of the first English colony on American soil.
· Stop #2: an hour-and-a-half class with theater students at Manteo High School, an exhilarating back-and-forth with the next generation of filmmaker/thespians.
· Stop #3: a visit to a Nautical Consignment Shop in Nag’s Head: half-museum, half-thrift shop – and more inspiration for my son’s college dorm room.
· Stop #4: local seafood at a fisherman’s grill in Kill Devil Hills (we were joined by Chris Sawin, Executive Director of the Dare County Arts Council).
· Stop #5: another high school theater class, this time at the First Flight High School in Kitty Hawk – and this time with a projector so that I could mix commentary with clips of the film.
· Stop #6: return to the Day’s Inn for a quick nap and Email catch-up, then prep for the evening reception and screening.
· Stop #7: a gala reception back at the Manteo Court House, for friends of the Dare County Arts Council.
· Stop #8: the screening of Joe Papp In Five Acts on yet a third smaller island, a state-funded property called Festival Park: the site of a History Center/Museum, an outdoor amphitheater, scattered picnic grounds and two, count ‘em, two movie theaters, all with spectacular views of the water. We did our best to fill the smaller theater, not an easy task in off-season – but those who came loved the film and after a lively Q&A, I finally bid warm goodbyes to all my new Outer Banks friends and headed back to Kill Devil Hills … and bed.

What a great day!