Théâtre at the Roundabout

Theatre on a hay wagon stage previews its upcoming season

The hay wagon stage of Théâtre Roulant will once again be situated at the Waring House near the roundabout during the 2025 summer season. Last Sunday, the theatre gave a preview at The Andrew in Picton of its three upcoming productions. Playwright and founder Conrad Beaubien was recovering after hip replacement surgery and could not attend, but nevertheless sent his greetings and thanks via a note read by his colleague John Burns. Mr. Beaubien thanked the actors, volunteers and board members for their support, and reiterated that the arts are an essential part of the community. “The arts contribute to the well-being in a troubled world, and storytelling thrives at the core of our being,” he wrote.

There are three productions slated for the summer season, and a number of the actors were at The Andrew to give a preview of the plays. First up was No Traveller Returns, written by Maureen Jennings. She is the author of television’s Murdoch Mystery series and this is her second play for Théâtre Roulant, following 2024’s Dying Like This.

Her new production was actually written before she created the Murdoch character and is a quintessential Canadian murder mystery rooted in the history of the country. It is set in Muskoka, Ontario at the end of the 19th century, in an Inn during a raging snowstorm. The characters include a travelling magician, a wallpaper salesman and a lumberjack with a band back. The actors performed two short scenes to give the flavour of the play. There was a music interlude by Megan and Gabe before the preview of the second production. Playwright Mike Kirby returns with his Shakes-beer theme in Shakes-beer Rides Again!. This is a sketch comedy show using Shakespeare’s characters in a modern way, with, for instance, King Lear visiting a psychiatrist or how Romeo and Juliet really met. The cast previewed a scene called “Shakespeare Squares”, based on the TV show Hollywood Squares. Six Shakespearean characters were asked to answer a question and two contestants, Mabel from Milford and Carl Carpenter (a cook from Consecon), had to decide whether or not the answer was correct.

The third play is a re-staging of Mr. Beaubien’s Bridge Street, which was first shown at Hillier Hall in 2016. The play examines intergenerational relationships and what happens when an aging parent straddles the border of dementia, at times lucid and aware, and at other times enveloped in a fog of long-distant memory. The play will be directed by Mr. Burns and accompanied by music composed by Megan Hutton.

Following the previews, David Wysocki spoke about his organization’s two-year project to improve accessibility in the performing arts. This is being funded by the Quinte Arts Council and the Canada Council for the Arts. Ten local arts organizations are taking part in the project, and there will be pilot performances at each venue that will be accessible. “We want to provide places where persons with disabilities can finally join all of us in enriching everybody’s lives,” said Mr. Wysocki. Jim Jaeger of the Waring House said the Théâtre Roulant performances will be fully accessible. There will be more seating and there will be a canopy to provide shade. To purchase tickets, or for more information, please visit theatreroulant.ca, or email info@theatreroulant.ca. The Waring House is offering overnight stay and dinner packages for each performance.