It’s the sound that most who have ever lived and/or worked at Caravan Farm Theatre anticipate with bated breath –– the clang of the triangle coming from the Cookshack.
Like clockwork, everyone emerges from their workstations –– the woods, the fields, The Designery and other buildings around the property –– for food, glorious, food.
Plates, bowls, cups, cutlery are gathered for the delectable spread, then everyone sits down at the giant picnic table in the middle of the room to break bread, discuss the morning’s activities, or ruminate about other pressing matters.
It’s one of those daily routines that director Jennifer Brewin has missed, and is now relishing as she finishes eating to sit down to chat –– even though it is her turn to do the dishes. (This is a communal workplace after all, it’s all hands on deck.)
Motioning to her friend, and current Caravan artistic director Courtenay Dobbie (who many will remember from last year’s summer production of Everyone) to join in on the conversation, Brewin is back to direct Caravan’s summer production of A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream.
“It’s great to have Jennifer back,” said Dobbie, who took over the reigns as artistic director at Caravan from Estelle Shook in September. “Estelle, Jennifer and I were friends before we worked on a bunch of shows together.”
It’s been a while since the two women joined forces at the farm –– Brewin directed Dobbie in 2004’s Cyrano of the Northwest, and both worked on The Man from the Capital, Brewin as director and Dobbie as choreographer.
Brewin left the farm in 2005, after serving as Caravan’s co-artistic director, with Shook, from 1998. She went on to work at the National Arts Theatre in Ottawa, and has since directed numerous productions in the nation’s capital as well as in her hometown of Toronto.
Two of those shows were originally done at Caravan, East o’ the Sun, West o’ the Moon, as well as The Man from the Capital. She returned to Caravan in 2009 to direct the winter sleigh ride production of The Story.
“Caravan’s reach has gone all over the place,” said Brewin. “There’s something about the esthetic here –– it’s one of the many shifts in theatre.”
“We’re good for creating shows that are new that move on,” added Dobbie.
It was actually Shook who laid out the plans to stage Midsummer, knowing she could use Caravan’s forest to full advantage. She had already lined up Brewin to direct the show before leaving as artistic director last year, making the way for Dobbie.
“When Courtenay got the job, I said, ‘you can fire us if you want,’” said Brewin.
“I obviously didn’t fire them. I was glad it was already planned out,” laughed Dobbie, who has been involved with the casting of the show and has also arranged and composed the music.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream isn’t the first time Caravan has done Shakespeare (Macbeth was produced in 2006 as well as King Lear, As You Like It and Romeo and Juliet previously), however, as in all its shows, Caravan puts its own spin on the classic while retaining the language and flavour.
“People are sometimes scared of Shakespeare, but this comes from a place that encourages it,” said Brewin. “We didn’t want to set it in Elizabethan times. The language is onto itself and we want to show that off, but this is loosely contemporary. It has the energy and flavour of Caravan.”
The farm’s forest is also a huge inspiration, with most of the set, designed by Catherine Hahn and Yvan Morissette, taking place in the woods around the farm’s riding ring.
“The play is set in the depth and breadth of the forest. It’s a universal connection of the Canadian forest, about walking through the woods at midnight,” said Brewin.
With its history of horses being part of the production, Dobbie says some animals will be used in the show, and for those who know the storyline of the play, expect a foolish donkey.
The cast of characters, including king of the fairies Oberon, queen Titania, mischief maker Puck, and the young lovers, are being played by both familiar and new faces, including two from Stratford, Ont., one from the Shaw Festival, and even a cirque clown. (Farm alumni Manon Beaudoin and Dawn Petten are some of those returning.)
“We have a great cast who embody the essence of each character. They have the dignity and power and command the space,” said Brewin.
“Plus, our female Puck is such a brat,” added Dobbie.
The cast and crew also have new digs to call home while at the farm.
Caravan partnered with the residential construction program at Okanagan College’s Salmon Arm campus, and the North Okanagan-Shuswap school district, to build four permanent cabins at the farm. The cabins were built on-site at the Salmon Arm campus in the spring, and were then loaded onto flatbeds for an early-morning back-road drive to the farm.
Caravan is in the process of fundraising $17,000 to cover the cost of the building supplies.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream opens at Caravan Farm Theatre July 19 and runs to Aug. 21 with shows nightly except Mondays (rain or shine) at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, call or visit the Ticket Seller in the Vernon Performing Arts Centre at 250-549-7469 (toll-free 1-866-311-1011) or purchase online at www.ticketseller.ca. Those wishing to donate to the cabin project can visit the farm’s website at www.caravanfarmtheatre.com.
