Performers on the parish stage

Troupe d’ Evangeline is looking for some additional temporary homes to meet, rehearse and stage plays until their donated building is ready to use.
Janice Fontenot, Troupe d’ Evangeline president, said, “We perform mainly at Ville Platte Civic Center, but we are limited to how many performances we can have there. We would like to do four or five, but we usually only get to do two or three.
“Glynn Ortego donated a building on Railroad Avenue to us. It’s an old warehouse, and it needs work — there’s no plumbing in the building. We’re hoping to be in it in another year or two. We are a non-profit and we are looking for donations to get the building fixed.”
Troupe d’ Evangeline was founded in 2012 by Alice Fontenot, Nancy Duplechin, Brenda Bahr, Travis Fontenot and Heather Bogard. The newly elected 2016 officers are: Fontenot, president; Melanie Soileau, vice president; Kristi Burleigh, public relations; Brenda Bahr, treasurer; Renee Walden, artistic director, Heather Bogard, secretary; Lacey Fontenot; Nancy Duplechain; Kristi Johnson; Yvonne Johnson; and Alice Fontenot.
The troupe’s mission statement is: “To provide education, entertainment and exposure to cultural experience. Objective is to become a resource for residents of Evangeline Parish and to enrich the cultural depth and education of the community at large. Encourage community based cultural development and creative expression as well as provide entertainment for the community as a whole.”
For more information, visit the Troupe d’ Evangeline Facebook page.
Fontenot, of Ville Platte, has been a troupe member for two years.
“(The founding members) Got with other people and went for it,” she said. “There is so much talent in Ville Platte. And it’s not just about theater and plays. This is about theater and art — a community theater.”
Fontenot said, “There is talent (in Evangeline Parish), but no where to show it.”
In addition to the Ville Platte Civic Center, the troupe has also performed at Drouet Park in Turkey Creek. Earlier this year the troupe traveled the parish during National Library Week to perform skits at all of the the parish’s public libraries.
Fontenot said the troupe stages three to four different productions each year. The group also rehearses at member’s homes, depending on the size of each play’s cast. She said the troupe would be willing to travel in the parish to other places to stage productions.
The troupe has done productions of “The Princess and the Pea,” “Clue” and most recently, “Steel Magnolias.”
Fontenot said, “I produced last year’s Christmas special, and we have also done three who-done-it murder-mysteries.”
She continued, “When we did Steel Magnolias, people came who had never even seen the movie, and they said, ‘Wow, we loved it.’ The last two showings had 120 people each. That’s good. We were so excited. We could have had two more showings if we had the space.”
Tickets are usually $10 per person for the troupe’s plays, and dinner theater production tickets are $25 each.
The troupe recently held a casting call for the upcoming season. The call was for men, women and children to participate as actors, actresses, a seamstress, carpenters, singers, dancers and back stage hands.
Interested individuals ranging from a third grader to sixty-something year old came to the event from all across the parish.
“We had a young man, a drummer, at the call,” Fontenot said. “He writes plays and skits. Maybe someone will notice his work (when he participates in troupe events).
“We are open to participants from anywhere, and we are looking for cast members of all ages. We would like to get people from the Eunice and Opelousas theater groups as well.”
Fontenot said it takes at least 10 cast members to stage a production, including backstage people, carpenters and painters.
The troupe will meet in early August to choose the three to four plays for this year’s theater season.
“We have five or six play books to look through,” Fontenot said. “I think the first one for this year will be a comedy. We are looking at ‘Daddy’s Dyin… Who’s Got the Will?’”
In the long term, when the troupe’s Ville Platte home is complete, Fontenot would like to see the building used for plays as well as art shows, Christmas programs and dances.
“We want it to be a positive in the parish, to bring the community and parish together,” Fontenot said,
She continued, “There is just so much local talent. My son Travis teaches drama at Pine Prairie. People come out of their shell with acting. Children that weren’t doing well in school do better, and their self-esteem gets better. You can express yourself through acting in ways that you can’t (or might not normally be able to).”