Techeland gearing up for ‘Last Bayou Passage’ show

Rehearsals are under way for the upcoming live presentation of “Last Bayou Passage,” a Techeland Arts Council No Hitchin’ production.
The cast gathered Tuesday on the set for a group shot against the Teche Lady, the last of the steamboats that traveled along Bayou Teche.
In the story penned by Sue Davis Stouff and Roger Emile Stouff, the Teche Lady embarks on her final journey from Washington, La. to Berwick, where Capt. Josiah Beaumont (played by Tony Scelfo) will turn her over to the new master of the boat, Capt. Henry Appleton (played by Larry Deslatte Jr.) The boat will then be converted to diesel engines, ending the steam-power era romanticized by Mark Twain and many others.
The story picks up at Jeanerette, as Beaumont tries to convey the tradition, the family-minded people, and the vast natural wonderland that is the Teche Country, to Appleton, a northern who has little appreciation for the South. Along the way the Teche Lady docks to load and unload cargo, allow passengers to board and disembark and the stories of those places are recalled.
Beaumont also strives to show Appleton that his boat is more than a carrier of passengers and freight; it is also a home to the crew members aboard, who are more family than they are co-workers.
Performances will be Tuesday, April 28, Wednesday, April 29, Friday, May 1 and Saturday May 2 at 7 p.m. There will also be a Sunday matinee May 3 at 2 p.m.
Tickets are available at Chic and Shabby and the Lamplighter on Main Street in Franklin, or at the door for $15. No reserved seats.
For more information call 337-212-2112 and leave a message.