Institute of Outdoor Theatre
Mission
The Institute of Outdoor Drama was founded in 1963 as an organization dedicated to serving the American historical outdoor drama movement. In the ensuing years, its scope expanded and grew internationally to include Shakespeare festivals, religious plays, musicals and all other types of plays always with the shared characteristic of outdoor performance. To reflect this growth, the organization changed its name in 2014 to the Institute of Outdoor Theatre (IOT). We are based in the College of Fine Arts and Communication at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. Our scope includes a wide variety of international professional and community theatre organizations. These organizations are united by their dedication to producing outstanding theatre and their unique roles in providing exceptional entertainment and tourism attractions for their regions.
Vision
We serve four primary constituent groups:
- All outdoor theatres with an interest in our programs and networking opportunities
- Members who pay annual dues and benefit from our consulting services, conferences, auditions, public information and research projects
- Actors, directors, designers and technicians working in outdoor theatre
- Members of the public or press seeking information about performances and theatres in different parts of the world.
“Thank you for a good audition experience. I know you guys are working hard and just wanted to send you a thank you for your efforts and let you know that we like the direction IOD is going. You are great people!”