Fort Griffin Fandangle
| Fort Griffin Fandangle | |
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Fandangle Logo
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| Music | Robert Nail Alice Reynolds James Ball Louann George Elsa Turner Bill Overton |
| Lyrics | Robert Nail Alice Reynolds James Ball Louann George Elsa Turner Bill Overton |
| Productions | 1938-1940 Albany, Texas 1947-1957 Albany, Texas 1964 Canyon, Texas 1965-present Albany, Texas |
The Fort Griffin Fandangle is the oldest outdoor musical in the state of Texas. The musical takes place at an outdoor theater, called The Prairie Theatre, in Albany, Texas. Created by Robert Nail in 1938, the Fandangle has grown to a cast of over 400 and celebrates the founding of Fort Griffin and the settling of Albany. The show is attended by over 10,000 people each year. It is performed annually on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings of the last two weeks in June.
The Fort Griffin Fandangle traces the historical and cultural development of the area along the Clear Fork of the Brazos River in northern Shackelford County near Fort Griffin, the military outpost that from 1867 to 1881 provided protection for settlers in the region and gave rise to the town of Albany. The story is recalled through the memory of two old-timers of the region, a cattleman and his wife, who sit on the porch of a ranch house to reveal the past as they remember it. The production consists of a series of segments, each based on historical material introduced by the narrators and then interpreted by one or more songs and dancing.
The Fandangle can trace its beginning to a performance of Dr. Shackelford’s Paradise, written and directed by Albany native Robert Edward Nail Jr., with the help of local music teacher Alice Reynolds. "Dr. Shackelford'd Paradise" was an outdoor musical pageant presented by the senior class that portrayed the history of Shackelford County. The play was so well received that it was expanded to include adults in the cast and was produced that summer under the name Fort Griffin Fandangle. A sponsoring organization, the Fandangle Association, was first incorporated in 1947. Nail established three rules: first, anybody with ties in Shackelford County could be in the show; second, the show would have to be publicized by word of mouth, not by paid publicity; and third, there would be no profanity in the show.
Alice Reynolds was active from the beginning in writing songs, in designing sets and the numerous banners associated with the play, particularly the steer-head and fiddle emblem that represents the Fandangle, and in sketching some of the elaborate costumes. For many years she also played the organ for the performances. She died in May 1984.
The title of the show was chosen for its alliteration and euphony. Fandangle is a provincial version of Spanish fandango, a fast dance. Originally only traditional or folk music and dances were used, but as the show was repeated in later years by popular demand, new material was written and included in the performances, a practice that is still followed. Although material is repeated from year to year, each season's version varies from any previous show in both content and focus.
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