Caravan Stage Company Heads for Europe

BELLEVILLE, ON, October 5, 2004 -- The Caravan Stage Company has presented plays of substance for over 30 years beginning in horse drawn caravans to their current 90 foot tall ship. The Company that started life in British Columbia (BC) as the world's only horse drawn theatre troupe, is about to embark on a three year “European Waters” tour in 2005, debuting their new play, “Vanishing Currents” first in Holland and Belgium, then England (2006) and Germany and The Baltic. (2007).

Principals, Adriana Kelder and Paul Kirby have crisscrossed North America presenting and performing original Canadian plays since 1970. Fueled by an apprenticeship in the turbulent 60's in Montreal producing LOGOS, an underground newspaper, they turned to theatre to communicate their ideas and concepts beyond the printed word.

Their first project in 1970, the LITTLE PEOPLE'S CARAVAN, toured vibrant puppet shows in a one horse wagon from Vancouver Island to the interior of BC. By 1974, there were three wagons.

Puppets morphed into outdoor theatre in 1975 with the creation of The CARAVAN STAGE COMPANY. 25 actors, musicians, artists and technicians traveling in 5 large horse drawn wagons performed original Canadian productions throughout rural and urban BC, Alberta, Ontario, Washington, Oregon, California, New York and Florida.

The Company continued to travel and perform into the early 90's when a new and very ambitious dream started taking shape. Imagine a sailing “tall ship", filled with actors, musicians, dancer is and aerial artists, traveling from port to port performing for an audience sitting ashore.

That dream became a reality in 1997 with the launch of the 90' (30 meter) AMARA ZEE (meaning: heart of the sea goddess). The ship, built in Kingston, Ontario, is an accurate replica of an 1800’s Thames Sailing Barge that combines the best of present day marine design and theatre technology. The entire vessel provides the stage and backdrop for newer and more adventurous productions. The Company has performed at waterfronts from Miami to Boston, New York to Kingston and Chicago to New Orleans from 1997 to the present.

"Vanishing Currents" is The Company’s latest, contemporary and provocative presentation. Playwright, Paul Kirby’s summation, “In current times, survival is a matter of trying to stay afloat in a container full of vanishing dreams in a sea of global fantasy” is reflected by author, Howard Zinn’s response, “...VANISHING CURRENTS...is a wonderfully imaginative, poetic fanciful work while making a serious comment on the world today.” The play, second in a trilogy, began with the much praised "Red Tides" and will be followed by "Utopian Drifts.”