 Texas Legacies & Texas Express
A Palo Duro Canyon Drama
While it's not unusual to combine outdoor activities like rafting and hiking, you wouldn't think stage productions and backcountry exploring would have much to do with each other.
In Texas, however, anything is possible.
Now, on your next great outdoor excursion to the Texas Outback, you can experience the thrill of outdoor adventuring with first class stage performances in a spectacular Southwest setting.
Welcome to Texas - the Drama!
Staged in the incredible Palo Duro Canyon State Park, near Amarillo, Texas, the Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation operates the outdoor theater that sports a stunning natural canyon as a backdrop. With several different productions throughout the season, backcountry enthusiasts can switch from trail gear to casual theater fashions and take in rather remarkable performances staged by Broadway directors and a cast of thousands.
Considering the beautiful Texas Panhandle setting, it's not surprising that all of the productions deal with local and regional culture, especially 19th century history.
Enhanced by modern technology and a flair for dynamics, producers of the shows combine a startling final fireworks display to round out the evening's entertainment with a bang.
The acclaimed outdoor epic drama is the most attended outdoor performance in the nation.
The 2004 season was directed by Broadway producer Bruce Lumpkin, who was the sixth director to put his mark on the famous shows.
Lumpkin's involvement in "A Revisionist Look at Cabaret" won him the prestigious Barrymore Award for Best Director and Best Musical.
The theatrical presentations at the canyon actually take on many faces. In addition to the Texas Legacies series, the Texas Express production takes place each summer (Sunday and Monday nights only), a contemporary version of how the state was won. A number of other theatrical and entertainment programs are offered seasonally, including musical concerts and other stage productions.
For more information about the many theatrical presentations offered at Palo Duro, connect to the official Texas Legacies Web Site.
In contrast to the glitz and glitter of stage productions, Palo Duro Canyon State Park offers great opportunity for exploration of the backcountry and remote locations far removed from the fast-paced entertainment of the theater. The head of the canyon lies fifteen miles southeast of Amarillo in Randall County, and extends sixty miles southeast.
It reaches depths of 800 feet from rim to floor (approximately 3,500 feet to 2,400 feet above sea level) with average widths of more than six miles.
The park, which includes more than 15,000 acres, annually receives over half a million visitors who come to reap the benefits the pristine outdoor setting offers, and to take in a remarkable outdoor production that ranks high as one of the most unusual stage performances in the U.S.
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Rio Grande Valley