Though its organizers had planned to shutter the curtains for good at the end of its 54th season in October, the Shepherd of the Hills Outdoor Theatre is returning this summer, albeit on a more limited basis.
As show co-owner Gary Snadon fought with pancreatic and liver cancer and the Branson theater faced rising costs in insurance and production, health care law changes and a dwindling audience, the outdoor drama went to pasture, according to
Springfield Business Journal archives. Snadon died Oct. 31, less than two weeks after the final performance of the show on Oct. 19, according to a news release posted on Shepherd of the Hills'
Facebook page.
Snadon's daughter, Sharena Naugher, is among organizers bringing the show back to life.
"We felt very beat up and like the odds were stacked against us. Closing the show that had been so much a part of my family was heartbreaking, but seemed like our only option at the time," said Naugher, marketing director and co-owner of the homestead, in the release. "However, the overwhelming outpouring of love and support from the entire community and our fans was such an incredible blessing.
"We've taken the winter to step back and to recover, to analyze our options and to pray, a lot," she added. "It became very apparent to (my family) that we very much want to continue this amazing legacy."
Opening May 23 during Memorial Day weekend, the show is scheduled to return for its 55th season with a more limited show roster - down to four nights a week during the summer months and weekends only during the fall. Previously, the show had ran six nights a week.
"We are ready to begin a new chapter ... and fight hard for our next 55 seasons," she said.
The outdoor drama is based on the book of the same name written by Harold Bell Wright and published in 1907. Wright's visit to the Branson area became the basis for the novel, which according to SBJ archives, was the first book in the U.S. to sell more than 1 million copies.[[In-content Ad]]
