Battle of Tippecanoe Outdoor Drama
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The Battle of Tippecanoe Outdoor Drama (BOTOD) was an outdoor historical drama held near the site of the Battle of Tippecanoe in Battle Ground, Indiana, in the summers of 1989 and 1990. The drama was held at an amphitheater specially constructed for the production and funded by county authorization of an occupancy tax.
Unable to attract sufficient audiences, the drama board voted in the spring of 1991 to close the production. The county renamed the facility as the Tippecanoe County Amphitheater. The amphitheater is located just north of West Lafayette, Indiana on 166 acres on State Route 43 near the Wabash River, within walking distance of the Tippecanoe Battlefield Park.[1]
The drama was written by Dr. Dale E. Miller, Purdue University Theatre Faculty Emeritus, and Dr. Sam Smiley, a Columbus, Indiana, native and feature film writer. Smiley had been head of Dramatic Writing at the University of Arizona. Miller toured outdoor theatres across the country in 1982 as he began to work on his conception of the drama.[1] His program bio says that he began working on the drama in 1979.[2] Miller also served as Artistic Director for the two years of summer productions.
Sound design
Purdue professor Richard K. Thomas composed the sound design,[3] creating an 8-channel surround audio using a Yamaha Rev 7 to master the mix.[4] Thomas' participation was supported by the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.[3]
Carrie Newcomer, an Indiana folk music composer, wrote "Sounds of the Morning" for the production, played as a prologue and as patrons left the amphitheater.[3] Her CD Visions and Dreams (1995) included this song.[5]
Other artistic credits
Purdue professor Carol Cunningham-Sigman designed dance choreography, Kent Shelton did the fight and stunt choreography, Stan Abbott created scenery, and Julie Mack created lighting for the production. Changes in the second season included more special effects.[3]
Summary
Dorothy Schneider described the battle in a 2011 Lafayette Journal and Courier article about a re-enactment: "The fight took place near the confluence of the Tippecanoe and Wabash rivers northeast of Lafayette. Thirty-seven American soldiers and an unknown number of Native Americans died in the battle."[6]
Historic figures portrayed in the drama included General and Governor William Henry Harrison, The Prophet, Tecumseh, Harrison's family, townspeople, scouts, Indiana Militia and Dragoons, Kentucky Militia and Dragoons, United States Infantry, both Pro and anti-American Indians, and British troops.[7]
Box office
The Lafayette Rotary Archives of 1983–84, described their work to complete the box office structure: "Interested members formed a Battle of Tippecanoe Outdoor Drama Project Committee... The first project was to raise $40,000 for the box office structure, which was accomplished in a fund drive that lasted from December until April."[8]
According to the Pharos-Tribune of Logansport, Indiana, tickets were $12 for adults and $6 for children. The Battle was presented Tuesday through Sunday both summers.[9]
Tippecanoe County Amphitheater
The Lafayette Journal and Courier reported on planning for the amphitheater. "In 1986, the Tippecanoe County Parks board made plans and obtained $3 million in finances to build an amphitheater for performances of the 'Battle of Tippecanoe Outdoor Drama'."[10]
The amphitheater seated 1511 people and includes concession stands, gift shop and restroom facilities under a rain shelter behind the seating area.[11]