Caravan Farm Theatre facts for kids
![]() Display caravan with Caravan Farm Theatre logo
|
|
Address | Salmon River Road Armstrong, British Columbia Canada |
---|---|
Coordinates | 50°29′41″N 119°15′35″W / 50.4946°N 119.2597°W |
Owner | Bill Miner Society for Cultural Advancement |
Type | Outdoor theatre |
Capacity | 500 |
Opened | 1979 (at current location) |
The Caravan Farm Theatre is a professional outdoor theatre company. It is run by the Bill Miner Society for Cultural Advancement. The theatre is based on a large 80-acre farm. This farm is about 11 kilometres northwest of Armstrong, British Columbia, Canada.
Caravan Farm Theatre shows are always performed outdoors. They use different spots on the farm as their stages. Audiences can be as large as 500 people. The theatre puts on shows three seasons of the year. Each year, between 13,000 and 16,000 people come to enjoy their unique outdoor plays.
Contents
History of the Theatre
How it Started: The Little People's Caravan
The Caravan Farm Theatre began as a puppet group in 1970. It was started by Paul Kirby and Adriana Kelder. They called their group The Little People's Caravan. This group traveled around Vancouver Island using a wagon pulled by horses.
In 1975, the group changed its name to The Caravan Stage Company. By 1978, the company started doing bigger tours. These tours were pulled by strong Clydesdale horses. In 1979, The Caravan Stage Company bought a farm near Armstrong. This farm became their main base. It was also a place to raise their horses.
Becoming Caravan Farm Theatre
In 1984, Paul Kirby and Adriana Kelder went on a three-year tour. They traveled through the western United States. This led to a disagreement within The Caravan Stage Company. Some members wanted to focus on touring, while others wanted to stay at the farm.
Because of this, The Caravan Stage Company split into two groups. One group kept the name Caravan Stage Company. It is now based in Kingston, Ontario. The other group became the Caravan Farm Theatre. It stayed at the farm near Armstrong.
Nick Hutchison, who was part of the original company, became the first Artistic Director of Caravan Farm Theatre. The theatre soon started putting on new plays and classic stories. They often worked with actors, designers, musicians, and technicians who lived near the farm. In 1989, they started a special winter show. It was a one-act play performed during a sleigh ride.
New Artistic Directors
Nick Hutchison left his role as Artistic Director in 1993. After a short time with an interim group, Allen Cole took over. He was a composer and writer. Cole was the Artistic Director until 1998.
Then, Estelle Shook and Jennifer Brewin became Co-artistic Directors. Estelle Shook first experienced the company in 1979. Her mother worked there as a cook. In 2005, Jennifer Brewin left, and Estelle Shook continued as the Artistic Director.
In 2008, with help from a local charity, the theatre built a special rain venue. This means shows can continue even if the weather is bad. This venue can hold up to 200 people.
Estelle Shook decided to leave in 2010. To celebrate her time, six theatre companies from Vancouver joined Caravan Farm Theatre. They put on a play called Everyone. This play had seven scenes. Each scene used a wagon pulled by Clydesdale and Fjord horses.
Courtenay Dobbie became the new Artistic Director in September 2010. She is an actor, director, and choreographer.
Talented Contributors
Many famous Canadian theatre artists have worked with Caravan Farm Theatre. Some of them include:
- Peter Anderson, a star from the CanStage production of The Overcoat.
- Peter Hinton, who was the Artistic Director of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
- Vincent de Tourdonnet, a writer of musicals. His works have been produced by CanStage and the National Arts Centre.
- Martin Julien, a well-known actor from Toronto.
- Amiel Gladstone, a playwright and director from the West Coast. He wrote Caravan Farm Theatre plays like We Three Queens and East O' the Sun, West O' the Moon.
Plays They Have Produced
The Caravan Farm Theatre has put on many different plays. Here are some of them:
- A Midsummer Night's Dream
- Everyone
- The Story
- The Secret Sorrow of Hatchet Jack MacPhee
- Mother Courage and her Children
- King Lear
- The Blue Horse
- East O' the Sun West O' the Moon
- The Tell Tale Heart
- Macbeth
- We Three Queens
- The I O U Land
- A Night in the Woods
- Cyrano of the Northwest
- Horseplay
- Cowboy King
- The Dog and the Angel
- The Tragical Comedy of Punch and Judy