Caravan Farm Theatre facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Caravan Farm Theatre (Venue)

A colorful caravan with the 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 / 50.4946; -119.2597
Owner	Bill Miner Society for Cultural Advancement
Type	Outdoor theatre
Capacity	500
Opened	1979 (at current location)

Caravan Farm Theatre (Company)

Clydesdale horses pull a wagon on the farm's outdoor "stage."
Formation	1984 (Predecessor formed 1970)
Type	Theatre group
Purpose	Outdoor theatre
Location	Armstrong, British Columbia
Artistic director(s)	Courtenay Dobbie
Website	http://www.caravanfarmtheatre.com/

Have you ever seen a play on a farm? The Caravan Farm Theatre is a professional theatre company that performs shows outside on a huge 80-acre (320,000 m²) farm. It's located near the town of Armstrong, British Columbia, in Canada.

Instead of a normal stage, the actors perform in different spots all over the farm. The audience, which can be up to 500 people, moves with the show. The theatre puts on shows in spring, summer, and winter. Every year, between 13,000 and 16,000 people come to see their amazing outdoor plays.

The Story of the Theatre

The Caravan Farm Theatre has a very interesting history that started with puppets and horse-drawn wagons.

The Early Days as a Traveling Show

The theatre began in 1970 as a puppet group called "The Little People's Caravan." It was started by Paul Kirby and Adriana Kelder. They traveled around Vancouver Island in a wagon pulled by a horse, putting on shows for different communities.

By 1975, the group changed its name to "The Caravan Stage Company." They started doing bigger tours, using teams of strong Clydesdale horses to pull their wagons. In 1979, the company bought the farm near Armstrong to have a home base and to raise their horses.

A New Beginning on the Farm

In 1984, the original founders, Kirby and Kelder, went on a long tour in the United States. This caused a disagreement in the company. Some people wanted to keep touring, while others wanted to stay and create plays on the farm.

This led to the company splitting into two groups. The Caravan Stage Company continued as a traveling group, while the Caravan Farm Theatre was created to stay on the farm in Armstrong. Nick Hutchison, whose mother was the famous actress Dame Peggy Ashcroft, became the first Artistic Director. An Artistic Director is the person who guides the creative vision of a theatre.

The new theatre company began to produce plays right on the farm. They often used the talents of actors, designers, and musicians who lived nearby. In 1989, they started a popular winter show where the audience would ride on sleighs from scene to scene.

The audience watches a show at Caravan Farm Theatre.

Growing and Changing

Hutchison left in 1993, and after a short time, a writer and composer named Allen Cole took over as Artistic Director until 1998. He was followed by Estelle Shook and Jennifer Brewin.

In 2008, the theatre built a special "rain venue." This covered space allows shows to go on even when the weather is bad, for up to 200 people.

Estelle Shook left her role as Artistic Director in 2010. To celebrate her time there, the theatre worked with six other companies to create a huge play called Everyone. It featured seven different scenes, each with its own wagon pulled by Clydesdale and Fjord horses.

In September 2010, Courtenay Dobbie became the new Artistic Director. She is an actor, director, and choreographer.

Talented People of the Theatre

Many famous Canadian theatre artists have worked with the Caravan Farm Theatre over the years, including:

• Peter Anderson, an actor known for the play The Overcoat.
• Peter Hinton, who was the Artistic Director of the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.
• Vincent de Tourdonnet, a writer of musicals.
• Martin Julien, a stage and TV actor from Toronto.
• Amiel Gladstone, a playwright and director who wrote plays for the theatre.

Famous Plays at the Farm

The Caravan Farm Theatre has performed many different plays, from classic stories to brand new ones. Here are some of them: