Small Town

Megan Hutton’s new play comes to Théâtre Roulant

The fictional town of Monroe takes centre stage in Megan Hutton’s new play, Small Town, which will be presented as part of Théâtre Roulant’s summer offerings, starting on June 14 at the Waring House. The town of Monroe has been clinging steadfastly to its 200-year history and the townsfolk see little reason to make any changes. “Monroe is built on tradition,” they say. Ms. Hutton got the idea for this play in 2023 when she moved from Picton to the village of Wellington and overheard a little snippet of conversation that brought a scene into her mind. “I wrote the entire play around this one scene,” she said. The play actually began life as a musical, but has been reworked into a shorter stage play. “It’s a satirical comedy- drama, filled with humour, heart and a colourful cast of recognizable smalltown characters. It’s set entirely on Main Street, which doubles as a gathering place, council chambers, and even a courtroom at times. The whole story is about change coming to a small town that relies on tradition,” she said. Ms. Hutton grew up in the County and has seen it change from a predominantly farming community, to becoming a wine hub, and now to a global destination for tourists.

Ms. Hutton has been involved with Théâtre Roulant for several years now, first appearing in Roaslia’s Piano in 2023, and then co-writing the score (with Sam Hirst) for Private Reuben Pearce, and last year providing original music for a restaging of Bridge Street. She said that she has always been a storyteller, first writing short plays as a child, and then writing songs in her professional music career. The passing of Suzanne Pasternak prompted Ms. Hutton to begin writing dramatic stories about life in the County, and earlier this year she presented The Ultimate County Kid at Mount Tabor Playhouse. She said that Small Town is a high-energy and fast-paced play that will use all of the space on the converted farm wagon that serves as a stage, plus having members of the cast move out into the audience area for an immersive experience.

“This is a very dynamic play, with lots of passion, but there’s also sadness and vulnerability,” she said. “It’s inspired by real-life events and is about people coming together to make changes that still honour the traditions.”

Aaron Armstrong plays the lead character of Kyle Monroe, who is destined to become mayor of the town that bears the family name, continuing a 200-year tradition. Mr. Armstrong studied theatre at university and did some acting before stepping away as life circumstances changed. He returned to community theatre after a 20-year absence in 2023 in Shatterbox Theatre’s production of Cabaret!, and that reignited his passion for theatre. “It gave me a joy I didn’t realize was missing from my life. It felt so good. I felt like I had found my people again,” he said. He took part in an audition call for this play and was offered the part of Kyle, the first time he will be acting in a lead role. “Kyle is smart and ambitious, and wants to bring Monroe into the 21st century. He’s written a manifesto for these changes, but he has secrets of his own that he’d like to keep.” Mr. Armstrong said there are elements of himself in the role of Kyle, but that much of the character is written onto the page. “Megan’s script is pretty incredible. I’m finding the nuances in his voice and mannerisms.” He said that the small Théâtre Roulant stage is not limiting at all. “Just because you have a small stage doesn’t mean you can’t fill it with big stories and big performances,” he said.

Bill McMahon is a veteran of community theatre, both as an actor and director. He actually had a look at the script for Small Town when Ms. Hutton was still developing it. He answered the call for auditions and was offered the part of Lyle Monroe, grandfather of Kyle and current mayor of the town. “This town has always has a Monroe as mayor for 200 years,” he said. His character believes that change will kill the small-town spirit of Monroe, and is resolved to keep things the way they are, putting him in conflict with his grandson. With an extended CV as a director in community theatre, Mr. McMahon said that he has to keep reminding himself that his role in this production is that of an actor. He is looking forward to the experience of performing this play outdoors on the grounds of the Waring House, but he says there can be challenges. “There could be noise from the roundabout, especially if a group of motorbikes go by. And we have to deal with the weather. But it’s a great space there, and the staff at the Waring are wonderful.” He noted that when he became involved in community theatre in the County in 2012, there were only three theatre groups offering plays. Now he said there are seven or eight with offerings from classic Shakespeare to 21st century works. “The value to the community is just priceless,” he said. “These groups bring in a diverse audience, particularly younger people, who will keep the interest in community theatre going.”

There will be an evening preview performance of Small Town on July 14 with pay-what-you-can pricing, and regular ticketed performances from July 15 to July 25. For show times and tickets, please visit theatreroulant.com