Théâtre Roulant

Travelling theatre to park at roundabout this summer season

After two seasons of bringing live theatre to various parts of the County, Théâtre Roulant will be spending this summer on the grounds of the Waring House at the roundabout in Picton. The idea of roving live theatre came when playwright Conrad Beaubien and director John Burns were looking for a way to have their own stage and equipment. “Then I came across on a sideroad a hay wagon that was for sale and I made a U-turn and looked at it and said ‘This is not a hay wagon, this is a theatre caravan,’” said Mr. Beaubien. “We live in a very large area with a very small population and there’s these pockets of people. So if we are on wheels we can move about and go into these different areas. The possibilities are endless. We can do all sorts of things, from children’s puppet plays to what we’re doing this year.”

For the past two years, Théâtre Roulant has brought its players and horse drawn wagon to towns and villages across the County, providing an outdoor theatre experience that hearkens back to medieval times in England. However this year, Mr. Beaubien wants to raise the profile of the theatre. “We are in a summer market and there’s a lot going on. While we visited all the corners of the County, we were not visible enough. We are parking the caravan for a good part of the summer—six weeks—right at the roundabout at the Waring House and we’re calling it Théâtre at the Roundabout with Théâtre Roulant. For the first time we are doing three plays and we’re very fortunate to have Maureen Jennings with us to give us a chance to develop one of her plays, and Mike Kirby’s play on Shakespeare, and my most recent play, Private Reuben Pearce. This is all new territory for us.”

Fans of the CBC series Murdoch Mysteries will be familiar with the work of Ms. Jennings. She created the character of William Murdoch, the fin de siècle titular Toronto detective, and has written fourteen episodes of the show. She met Mr. Beaubien and Mr. Burns while attending a play at The Eddie and struck up a conversation with them. She mentioned that she had just written a play and they asked her to send it to them. Ms. Jennings was thrilled at the idea of having her play performed on an outdoor stage. “I think it’s a fabulous concept, and I was very excited to hear about it. This is how drama started,” she said. Director John Burns is looking forward to working with Ms. Jennings to develop the play, which is about a retired professor who is visited by the ghost of his best friend who wants to repair the relationship with his son. “These are three of the most delineated characters I’ve encountered in a very long time. These people have a very powerful dynamic among them and we are going to spend the next couple of months delving into that,” he said.

Last Sunday, Théâtre Roulant held a special preview event at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Picton to introduce the new season. Snippets of each of the three plays were performed, along with live music, wine and canapés. Mr. Beaubien said it was a way to help build an audience for the upcoming season. The first of the three plays to be staged is Private Reuben Pearce, written by Mr. Beaubien. It is the story of a County man who abruptly left his home in 1861 to fight in the US Civil War, and returned in 1868 after being held prisoner by the Southern forces. The second play is An Evening With Shakes-Beer (and Whine) by Mark Kirby. It is a different look at some of William Shakespeare’s greatest scenes. Ms. Jennings’ play, Dying Like This, will be the third and final play of the season. Mr. Burns said that outdoor storytelling is as old as humanity itself. “It’s a primal experience. It’s the very origin of human existence, where human beings come together and tell stories. This is the closest you can get to that in modern times. I find that very inspiring,” he said. For performance times and tickets, please visit theatreroulant.com.