Texas (musical) facts for kids
Texas is a fun musical show performed every year. It takes place at the outdoor Pioneer Amphitheater in Palo Duro Canyon, near Canyon, Texas. You can watch the show from June through August, Tuesday to Sunday. A famous writer named Paul Green wrote it. The idea for the show came from Margaret Pease Harper.
This show is great for families. It tells a "musical romance of Texas Panhandle history." The story happens long ago, in the 1800s. It uses real historical facts. The characters in the show are made up. They help tell the exciting stories of the first settlers in the Texas Panhandle. You will see their challenges and their successes.
The Story of Texas
The musical is about ranchers and farmers in the 1880s. This was when Texas was still being settled. The main ideas in the play are love, romance, and people's fight against nature.
The main character is Calvin Armstrong. He is a young homesteader (someone who settles on new land to farm it) from the East. Calvin wants to become a farmer in the Texas Panhandle. He falls in love with Elsie McClain. Elsie is the niece of Colonel Henry. Colonel Henry is a character who might be based on a real rancher named Charles Goodnight. Henry is buying land and putting fences around it for his cattle. Elsie's relationship with Calvin creates problems between Henry and Calvin.
The play shows events like dry weather (droughts). It also shows people's fear of losing their land. But don't worry, the story ends happily! The right couples get married in the end.
Later versions of the show have been changed a bit by different directors. These changes were always approved by Paul Green or his literary helper. Some exciting parts of the show include special fire and water effects.
How the Show Started
The idea for Texas began in July 1960. Margaret Pease Harper and her husband Ples were having dinner. They were talking with William and Margaret Moore about Palo Duro Canyon. All four wanted to bring more tourists to the canyon. They also wanted to create summer jobs. Plus, they hoped to teach the region's history in an exciting way.
Margaret Harper had read an article in Reader's Digest. It was about a writer named Paul Eliot Green. Green had created special shows called "symphonic dramas." These shows used music and grand performances to tell the history of different parts of America.
Harper started writing letters to Green. She told him about the land, people, and beauty of Palo Duro Canyon. Green wrote back quickly. He said he was interested and wanted to meet. In 1961, Harper and some families from Canyon, Texas, brought Green to their city. He loved the place and started writing the musical.
The music, dancing, and how the show was put together came from West Texas A&M University. This school was called West Texas State College back then. Texas first opened on July 1, 1966. It has been performed at the Pioneer Amphitheater ever since.
In 2003, a new version of the show came out. It was called Texas Legacies. This new show ran until 2005. It was meant to be more historically correct. It focused on different times in Texas history each year. However, Texas Legacies was not as popular. So, in 2006, the original Texas show returned to the Pioneer Amphitheater. People were very happy about it!
Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation
The Texas musical is put on by the Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation. This is a group that does not make money for itself. It was started by Margaret Pease Harper on May 7, 1961.
The first goal of the group was to "recapture, recreate, and preserve the history of the Texas Panhandle." They wanted to do this by putting on a musical show. They planned to build a special theater in the Palo Duro Canyon. In September 1961, the group became a legal organization. They represented 40 counties in West Texas.
The first big project was to build an amphitheater. It would have a 600-foot cliff as its background. This theater was named Pioneer Amphitheater. It was built with 1,600 seats.
A Sad Day in 2013
On August 12, 2013, a sad event happened. Five members of the Texas cast were in a car accident. This happened north of Amarillo. They were coming back from a cast party. Because of this tragedy, the show on August 13 was cancelled.
