Directors of outdoor theater might choose a location for its lighting, accessibility or aesthetics, but what about for its history? This summer, Loudonville actor/producer Steven O’Connor will do just that as the director of Drums Along the Mohawk Outdoor Drama. Emphasizing New York State’s relevance to the American Revolution, for the second year in a row DAMOD will showcase a historical fiction play before a live audience directly on the soil where the action took place hundreds of years ago. Based on Walter D. Edmond’s 1936 novel “Drums Along the Mohawk,” producer Kyle Jenks developed the story into a two-act drama in order to spotlight the important role that Upstate New York played. “I think people should come to gain a greater appreciation about who our American heroes were,” Jenks said. “Many of our American heroes came from the Mohawk Valley of Upstate New York and aren’t widely known names.” Jenks’ production premiered last year at the Gelston Castle Estate in Mohawk with a cast of about 50 actors and a small orchestra. The story, which was made into a Technicolor film in 1939 starring John Ford and Henry Fonda, focuses around a newly married couple living at the start of the Revolutionary War. While living on a farm, they experience several attacks from the British and Native Americans. This year, Jenks said he wants to “play up the vocals” by adding in some songs and turning the show into a musical. As he continues to try out new endeavors, Jenks asked O’Connor to direct the outdoor drama. O’Connor has about 30 years in the entertainment field, including being a member of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Actors, and was recently cast to appear in “Chickadee,” a feature film with Ellen Burstyn and Chris Cooper that will be shot in the Capital District. He has spent the last three years producing The Last of the Mohicans Outdoor Drama in Lake George. “I’m excited because it’s a new project for me. I think historical fiction, whether its novels or plays, gets people curious about the rest of the story. Most of these plays really are about the tip of the iceberg,” O’Connor said. “It shows a small portion of the Revolutionary War, but throughout the play it introduces many historical characters and some events you may have not been aware of. It piques people’s curiosity.” Referring to the play as “edutainment” Jenks said the experience of the show is very unique. In addition to the large cast, the outdoor drama will also feature livestock, including sheep and chickens, to add to the realism to the scenes. “The edutainment experience means that the senses are stimulated. The story that we tell did take place in July and August in 1777, so the show also takes place in July and August. Whatever weather is being experienced by the audience is the same whether that happened during those events in 1777,” Jenks said. Of course, those sorts of elements can create challenges for an outdoor drama, but O’Connor said that adds to the excitement. “That’s the exciting part … when you marry that historical fiction to the actual location,” O’Connor said. “It’s always more exciting to do it in the area where it actually happened.” This year’s performances will take place on Saturday, July 27, and Sunday, July 28, at Tawasentha Park on Route 146 in Guilderland, and Saturday, Aug. 3, and Sunday, Aug. 4, at Gelston Castle Estate at 980 Robinson Road in Mohawk. For more information on the shows, visit www.datmod.com.