Arts In: Caravan Stage

There’s a ship docked in downtown St. Pete with aerialists flying from the rigging. It’s a ship filled with actors and dancers and theatre crew, creating a visually spectacular story about climate change.

Adriana Kelder started the Caravan Stage Company with Paul Kirby in the 1970s. They’ve been bringing original productions to small towns and cities around North America – and Europe – for more than 40 years.

Adriana and Paul toured with horse-drawn carriages for 20 years before setting sail. They raised a family as they traveled, and built a network of creative collaborators around the world. And while the troupe lives together onboard with a library in the galley and lively shared meals, their website’s up to date and their shows use high-tech gear and video projections.

Quiet, passionate and full of humor, Adriana shares the inspiration behind the company and their current production, the risks they take performing political theatre and the pleasures of wanderlust.

Find out more about Caravan Stage Company’s history and current projects at caravanstage.org.

You can reserve tickets to “Nomadic Tempest,” performing April 4-8 in downtown St. Petersburg at www.eventbrite.com.

Rehearsal photos by Tom Kramer.

Arts In is produced by Matt and Sheila Cowley. Executive Producer, Barbara St. Clair for Creative Pinellas.