DESIRÉE DECOSTE

STAFF WRITER

An old hay wagon has been transformed into a travelling playhouse to tour Prince Edward County (PEC) with a colourful new play about the region’s history.

The play, called The Boxcar Cowboy, will have its world premiere on July 16, when the self-contained theatre on wheels will be pulled by a pair of Clydesdales into Benson Park, Picton.

The show is being produced by Station Road Arts Collective (SRAC), a Hillier-based theatre group that has produced plays in theatres and other venues for 10 years. The collective has named the travelling theatre “Roamin’ Theatre Roulant”. The theatre will visit 8 places around the County with a troupe of actors and musicians between July 16 and September 10.

“This project is unique for three reasons,” says John Burns co-founder of SRAC, “an original play about Prince Edward County, is touring in Prince Edward county, in Canada’s only travelling theatre.”

Burns, a 50 year theatre veteran based in Wellington, Ontario is known for being the founder of Festival Players of PEC.

The Roamin’ Theatre wagon will leave Prince Edward County Fairgrounds at 1 p.m. and arrive in style at Benson Park at 2 p.m., with musicians playing and actors rousing the crowd.

The play, beginning at 7 p.m. and suitable for viewers of all ages, tells the story of Charles Sherwin, a Depression-era teen from Hillier who rode the rails and came to be known across the country as The Boxcar Cowboy.

The Boxcar Cowboy was written by award-winning, Hillier-based writer Conrad Beaubien, co-founder of SRAC and a 50 year veteran of Canadian television, theatre and print.

Bring your own chairs and pay what you can for this outdoor performance which runs approximately 60 minutes.

For more information on SRAC please visit https://www.stationroadarts.com/

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