Bayou Playhouse brings off-Broadway to Lockport

The 100-seat Bayou Playhouse next to Lockport Bayou Side Park in Lockport is not only the newest theater in the Tri-parishes.

It’s also the realization of legendary stage director Perry Martin’s long-held dream to have his own space to stage professional productions with Louisiana themes.

“I’ve long envisioned historical theater in Louisiana,” Martin said. “The Bayou Playhouse will promote Louisiana arts and culture-the amazingly rich subject matter of Louisiana written by Louisiana playwrights.”

The theater’s original grand opening was to be held on the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Aug. 29, with New Orleans playwright John Biguenet’s play about Katrina, “Rising Water.”

Ironically, Hurricane Gustav pushed the theater’s new grand opening to Friday, Oct. 10. The play will run through Sunday, Nov. 9.

The theater had a “soft” opening on Aug. 1 showing the work of another New Orleans playwright, Rob Florence’s “Mirrors of Chartres Street,” a play about William Faulkner’s life in New Orleans which Martin had directed off-Broadway.

Martin, a Galliano native who has directed or produced more than 80 shows, started directing and producing professional theater productions in 1986, opening the Oak Alley Dinner Theater with “The Great Big Doorstep.” But he had been directing community theater and working as a consultant for several years before then.

Martin has directed and produced shows all over the country, mainly for Evangeline Oaks Entertainment. He also managed the Thibodaux Civic Center for eight years and assisted with managing the True Brew Playhouse in New Orleans.

But Hurricane Katrina changed everything.

“I worked nonstop for the last 20 years, two or three productions at a time,” he said. “After Katrina, we decided to find our own space. Katrina destroyed the theater business in New Orleans.”

“Katrina slowed things down,” he said. “Did we want to go back on the road or did we want to stay close to home?”

Martin happened to tell Lockport Mayor Richard Champagne that he was looking for a place to stage a reading of “Rising Water.” Coincidentally, technical director David Guidry and producing managing director Karissa Kary (former associate director of the Tennessee Williams/New Orleans Literary Festival), who was in China, had recently contacted Martin about working with him.

Champagne suggested to Martin that he and his partners use the former Louisiana Power and Light building in Lockport, which had been turned into a performance space by the Lockport Arts Council.

“I walked into this beautiful building,” Martin said. “They asked if I was interested in renting it… Somebody was telling us something, so we cancelled our road gig.”

All the seats in the building had been taken from the Saenger Theater in New Orleans, which closed at least temporarily following Katrina, and the sound equipment and lighting had been taken from the defunct True Brew Playhouse.

“They’re beautiful old theater seats,” Martin said.

Guidry owns the seats and the sound and lighting system.

Martin formed the non-profit Halifax Theater Company to stage shows at the Bayou Playhouse. He has a one-year lease with an option on the theater; then he will “see how I feel at the end of it.”

He emphasizes that the Bayou Playhouse is professional, non-profit theater, not a community theater.

“We work with people who do this as a profession, not a hobby,” he said, adding that he began his career at the Thibodaux Playhouse. “The shows will be New York, professional quality shows. This is the first time you’ll see professional equity actors and professional playwrights. Not the same Neil Simon plays you’ve seen for the last 30 years. We’ll bring a taste of off-Broadway.”

The playhouse will use plenty of local talent, including longtime Martin collaborator Randy Cheramie, who stars in “Rising Water.”

But Martin is probably most excited because the theater is presenting plays about Louisiana.

The theater had to move its second regular production, “OKRA,” by San Francisco-area resident Anne Galjour, to a Dec. 5 opening because of Hurricane Gustav, but the remainder of the first-season lineup will go on as scheduled: “Floating Palace” by Glenn Pitre and Michelle Benoit, March 6 to April 5; “Tant Que Durera La Terre” by John Doucet, May 1-31; “Hurricane,” again by Galjour, who will also perform, July 10-19; and “Cinderella Battistella” by Fred Palmisano, Bob Bruce and David Cuthbert, July 24 to Aug. 16.

Galjour, Pitre and Doucet are Lafourche Parish natives.

“At this point, the plays are about Louisiana, but they could expand,” Martin said. “But for now, there are enough Louisiana stories to keep us busy.”

“Rising Water” is a comedy/drama about a Cajun couple living in New Orleans when Katrina hit. The first act takes place in the attic and the second on the roof as the water rises, but the destruction is symbolic of the crumbling of the couple’s own relationship. The play has been nominated for a 2008 drama Pulitzer Prize.

The Bayou Playhouse has 20 submissions for next season.

“As long as we can fulfill professional theater about Louisiana, we’ll do it,” Martin said. “Our main focus is to promote Louisiana. But if we have the chance to do traditional theater, we’ll do it.”

Martin is carrying on the legacy of his father, who was an entertainer. The director’s other off-Broadway productions are “The Kingfish” and “A Different Woman.”

“Kingfish” starred popular New Orleans actor John McConnell, who had been Martin’s roommate at Nicholls State University.

Martin also directed McConnell in “A Confederacy of Dunces” and “Earl Long in Purgatory.”

Apart from theater work, Martin is an award judge for the annual Daytime Entertainment Emmy Awards and can claim to have been the agent for the voice of Bugs Bunny, Mel Blanc.

He also was responsible for bringing Bob Dylan to the Thibodaux Civic Center.

But Martin is not flaunting his entertainment world connections.

“We’re still a backyard for people to have coffee with us,” he said. “We do high art, but we’re still Cajuns. Being in Lockport will allow people to see professional theater. My professional friends call me Cajun because that’s what I am.”

To reach the Bayou Playhouse, call 1-888-99-BAYOU (22968). The playhouse is located at 101 Main St. in Lockport.