When William Bastien suddenly came into possession of a large hay wagon this spring, he promptly got to work transforming it into, of all things, a stage.
Bastien is co-director of the Pontiac Community Players summer theatre series, which this year is called Twain’s Tales — a comedic adaptation of some of the writer’s stories that the troupe debuted in Fort Coulonge on Saturday.
In keeping with Twain’s adventurous spirit, Bastien wanted to find a way to make the production a real travelling show, with a mobile stage and everything. The only problem? He didn’t have a stage.
Or so he thought. To his surprise, his father Vaughan Bastien happened to possess a hay wagon he had clandestinely acquired as payment for services rendered at his tire shop.
“He didn’t want to tell my mom or me about it, so he hid it at multiple farms. He’s pimping out this hay wagon to different farms who need it, without telling us that he has a hay wagon,” he said.
Bastien, the resourceful set designer he is, got to work constructing the stage for their roving theatre troupe. He built shelves for props, a frame for the stage, as well as two 10-foot-tall pillars with Twain’s Tales signs made out of cloth and stenciled lettering.
On Saturday, the converted wagon made its maiden voyage as Bastien packed up the whole production inside the wagon and toted it up to Fort Coulonge’s Parc Centenaire.
The travelling aspect is part of what’s different about this year’s summer show. Bastien said instead of staying in Coronation Hall where the shows usually take place, he and co-director Darlene Pashak wanted to take their talents to all corners of the Pontiac.
“We have all these great little municipal parks, we’re called the Pontiac Community Players, and we’ve mostly done shows in Bristol and Shawville. I think this is a really good way to expand,” he said.
Bastien said the outdoor venues provide the perfect setting to match the premise of the play: five souls, sitting on a porch, spinning old yarns.
“The idea is that there’s a group of five people sitting on the porch of a general store, contemporaries to Twain, and they each have a profession that [Twain] used to have [ . . . ] and they start to tell each other Mark Twain stories,” he said.
As the play goes on, he said, audiences will get a rapid-fire introduction to some of Twain’s lesser-known stories, as told through the characters. During the hour-long show, he said all five actors will each play seven different characters.
Sydney Côté, a Players veteran who has been with the troupe since 2018, said this style of storytelling has been a nice change of pace from the usual one-character format.
“This is a very different kind of play. You’re playing a character who is playing a character [ . . . ] It’s a real challenge,” she said.
Bastien said it was a pleasant surprise to see actors make the roles their own, even bringing their own costume elements or workshopping different accents to complement their characters.
“It’s almost like the tickle trunk of shows. The actors were able to play with what they felt the characters needed, and kind of develop from there,” he said.
Bastien said certain unforeseen challenges came up when rehearsing the play, including the stability of the wagon itself.
“We kind of forgot the wagon inherently has a wiggle because it’s on wheels, so even if you block it, it still has a bit of movement, and so it’s been really fun to see the actors get their sea legs.”
He said the troupe made adjustments such as putting wooden blocks behind the wheels, or making sure certain props were weighted down to account for gusty winds.
Actor Ollie Côté said it was challenging to get used to some of the outdoor elements, but is excited to bring theatre to people who may not otherwise be exposed to it.
“It’s cool because a lot of people don’t have the opportunity to get out to Shawville every time there’s a show, and especially for elderly folk who can’t get out as much [ . . . ] It’ll be right out in front of their doorstep.”
Ollie and Sydney, who are siblings, said the show also marks a special occasion since it is only the second time the two are sharing the stage.
“It’s been a lot of fun doing this show with my sibling, it’s awesome and it’s a cool opportunity,” Sydney said.
Bastien said the atmosphere of the shows is meant to be relaxed. People can bring lawn chairs, picnic blankets and food, and can come and go as they please — something he hopes can make the show fun for the whole family.
“It’s really fun because you get to really watch the actors play with it, which makes it a little different. And it’s kind of enticing because it’s truly just a relaxed and fun experience.”
The Players will roll into four more Pontiac parks during the month of August, including Waltham’s Paul Ryan Park on Aug. 9, the Litchfield Halte on Aug. 16, Shawville’s Mill Dam Park on Aug. 23, and the Otter Lake RA on Aug. 30.
