IT'S COMPLICATED: How Armstrong's Caravan Farm Theatre gears up for winter show

Putting on a month-long theatre production is no easy feat, and doing so outside in the cold and snow – and with more than a dozen horses – raises the bar when it comes to the logistics of putting on a play. “It is a lot more complicated,” Armstrong's Caravan Farm Theatre managing director Ivan Habel told iNFOnews.ca. “We’re never inside.” Outside of dealing with the unpredictable weather, the theatre company’s productions tend to always take place on multiple stages dotted across the farm theatre’s 80-acre site. This years winter production, A Sleigh Ride Christmas Carol, is no exception with the play being performed at four separate stages. “And then we add 10 teams of horses, it's even more complicated,” Habel said. However, just hours before the first audiences arrive at the Farm Theatre the mood is remarkably calm. There’s no-one running around shouting into a walkie-talkie, no raised voices and not a single cuss word muttered. “We do get into those stages,” Habel said. "I won't deny that.” While it might happen, it’s certainly not happening in the late afternoon before the first preview performance when more than 100 people are scheduled to arrive. Instead, the 20 teamsters and those riding shotgun, the drivers of the horses and their assistants, stand in a circle in the barn having a safety meeting. They’re talking audience management logistics as theatre goers sit in large wagons pulled by horses as they’re taken from stage to stage. Ironing out the finer details of where they’re suppose to be is key. If mistakes are made its not easy to quickly maneuver a 20 foot horse-drawn wagon full of people so they can see the stage. Jumping on the back of a wagon, it’s easy to see why the teamsters need to know exactly where to guide their horses. The turning radius is huge, and it would be difficult to manage if someone missed their allotted spot. With snow already on the ground the horses trudge slowing along pulling wagons. It’s exactly what they want to be doing. “The boys love to get up there, they love it,” says one teamster. “They like nothing more than to get some wind in their faces.” For the final rehearsal the teamsters, and their horses, seem to have it all under control, as the wagons neatly line up in front of the stage. Artistic director Estelle Shook looks deep in thought as she stands on a stage looking out to where the audience will be in a matter of hours. When the show kicks off in earnest Dec. 6 the horses will pull 450 people at night, spread over three shows at 4 p.m., 6 p.m, and 8 p.m. It’s almost completely sold out, which is a testament for a play which hasn’t even opened yet. Founded in 1978 the Caravan Farm Theatre is one of only couple of professional outdoor theatre companies in the country. It regularly sells out its performances but that doesn’t mean its sitting pretty. “We’ve got 20 people running horses, we’ve got nine people in the acting company, four running crew… plus a kitchen staff and administration,” Habel said. They’re all professional and need to be paid. While the theatre only has four permanent staff, the production of A Sleigh Ride Christmas Carol involves about 50 staff. The vast majority of the teamsters are local and head home once the performance is over. But the majority of the crew live on the farm during the production. It means accommodation and food, and the expense that goes with it. This month long production will cost more than $300,000 to put on. It’s an enormous amount of money, especially as the theatre is at the whim of the weather. In 2021, the winter production had to be cancelled for a few days as temperatures dipped below -20 Celsius. With the summer becoming synonymous with smoky skies, productions have been starting earlier than usual, but once saw extreme heat keep audiences numbers lower than hoped. Last summer, the Hullcar Mountain wildfire got worryingly close. As the light fades and the teamsters finish bringing their horses back, staff at the concession stand fill the shelves with wine. There’s a couple of carpenters still working on the bleachers and Habel still looks remarkable calm as people will begin to arrive in a couple of hours. “It's a very special place and very special shows,” he said. After a 45-year-long career in theatre, Habel says the Caravan Farm Theatre has different challenges to anywhere else he’s ever worked. “And it's a completely different kind of challenge,” he said. “So if you're going to end your career, you might as well end it with a challenge.” Caravan Farm Theatre’s production A Sleigh Ride Christmas Carol runs until Jan. 5 and tickets are still available. For more information go here https://caravanfarmtheatre.com/show/the-winter-sleigh-ride-show/ . To contact a reporter for this story, email Ben Bulmer mailto:bbulmer@infonews.ca  or call (250) 309-5230 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .