HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1981-08-12, Page 5•
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Luelmow Sentinel, Wednesday, Angle* 12, 1981-4esi
'Caravan Stage Compny rolls into Wingham
for performances of "Horseplay"
Gypsy -style caravan
brings theatre to town
Like modern-day gypsies they roll into
town with their circus -style wagons and
colourful performers.
Caravan Stage Company, North America's
only horse drawn theatre company, is on a
16 -week tour of Ontario this summer,
sponsored by Toronto's NDWT theatre
•company with financial assistance from the
Canada, Council. The company came to
Wingham last weekend for three perform-
ances of their musical comedy, Horseplay.
Eleven " majestic Clydesdales pull the
theatre wagons from town to town where the
troup does open-air performances in small
town ball parks and fairgrounds.
Most of the 22 performers and support
staff along with eight children travelling
with thein, live in tents. The five hand -carv-
ed circus wagons house props, costumes,
personal effects and bales of hay for the
horses. The wagons are alsO the stage and at
show time they are pulled into a circle so the
theatre' under the stars surrounds its
audience.
As. Caravan's founder and managing
director' Paul Kirby explained in a recent
Kitchener -Waterloo Record interview:
"There really is a difference between what
we do and what other theatre companies do"
said Kirby who is equally comfortable
discussing theatre traditions or the price of
hay.
"Basically we set out to reach people in a
way that is more attractive and more
imaginative. We're trying to ° popularize
theatre and take it out of the .confines of the
urban elite setting to a more informal and
relaxed one. The horses are key to it, of
course."
As Paul's wife, Nans explains, the whole
10 -year endeavour began out of the couple's
love for horses and theatre. During the *60s
in Montreal with what Paul calls a. "family"
of people, they had run an underground
newspaper called Logos, as well as produc-
ing mixed -media performances. In 1970
however, they moved to B.C. to begin to
evolve the Caravan idea.
It was two years of working with horses,
building the first wagons and gradually
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making their dream practical, before they
got on the road with a, travelling 'puppet
show. Since then the group has toured the
small towns in B.C. annually, adding
Alberta stops to its itinerary for the last two
years.
They have produced several full-length
shows over the years. Two are being
produced on the Ontario tour. Tobootenay, is
an afternoon carnival featuring story telling,
wagon rides, forge displays, puppet shows,
fortune telling, jugglers and Dr. Heart's
perennial Wonder Medicine Show. Horse-
play is their original evening musical theatre
production. -
"We use Mot of movement, a lot of music
and a style that's open and broad. We've
borrowed styles of the traditional American
theatre, the travelling repertory companies,
the' tent shows and the medicine shows,"
Paul observes.
• The welfare of the horses is a major
concern. "Our horses are part of our
extended family. The love the people have
for the horses is part of what Caravan is
about," says Kirby.
O During their stay in the area, Rom, one of
the Clydesdales came up lame. A Wingham
veterinary was called and x-rays showed a
tiny bone broken. During the veterinary's
examination, several of the performers
wandered over to the horses' corral to learn.
of his injury. It was a busy time, setting up
for the first performance in Wingham, but
they were concerned for Rom's welfare.
All the performers are professionals who
have worked 'in conventional theatres. in
Europe and. North America, who during the
supper satisfy their sense of wandering. In
the off .season most return to conventional
theatre, but some return to the theatre's
farm near Armstrong, B.C. where Nans and
Paul live with their three sons and the
Clydesdales.
"This is.a 24-hour day commitment," says
Paul, using his favourite word.
"In other theatre, you do your perform-
ance and you're finished. Here, after the
performance, you do the dishes and feed the
horses."
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Children play nearby while performers set up stage