by TERRY TRAHAN, JR.

“A theatre in Lafourche is five seats on a front porch.”

Perry Martin’s view of bayou theatre may be true for family gatherings on a Sunday afternoon in Lockport, but his style of professional theatre calls for a bigger stage and audience just a few blocks down on Main Street.

The Bayou Playhouse opened for its first season in 2008 in Lockport along Bayou Lafourche, across from the locks. The theatre moved into the old Louisiana Power and Light Co. warehouse, which had been vacant for years.

Perry, a Galliano native and seasoned theatre director, was planning
to move to Boston before he found the space.

“Did I just commit myself to a building for a year when I’m moving
in two weeks?” the director remembers asking himself.

Yes.

With a new home for his productions and a change in itinerary, Perry founded the Halifax Theatre Co. with the help of Karissa Kary as producer and company manager, as well as David Guidry as technical director.

“The building was in great condition,” Perry says, but there was one problem. “There were neon and fluorescent lights. When most of your clients are senior citizens, the last thing you want is light that reminds them of the emergency room.”

So he went into storage to pull out a few lights that had been salvaged from the True Brew Theatre in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

Perry also brought in 100 red-velvet seats from the Saenger Theatre. He acquired the old seats before Katrina. The theatre was tossing them out, so Perry rented a truck and hauled what he could to storage, where they survived the storm. The seats have since been scraped and cleaned of decades
of chewed gum and are now a vintage focal point of the Bayou Playhouse.

“Our theatre was built from the ashes of Katrina,” Perry reflects as he looks to the lights above him and to the sea of red occupied by an afternoon audience.

With the once-vacant building developing into a quaint theatre, Perry focused on the genre of productions he would bring to the area. He knew he wanted to blend professional and local actors to tell “tales about Louisiana told by Louisianans.” His goal was to foster an interest in local performance arts and to bring a love for theatre back to the bayou.

“I have a strong belief in supporting local communities and culture,” Karissa says, agreeing with Perry. We’re looking at an area that is underrepresented, but is full of stories.”

The Bayou Playhouse first welcomed “Mirrors of Chartres Street”
to its stage on Aug. 1, 2008. Since that first night, Perry has featured new plays by Louisiana writers, screened films and provided a stage for bands to showcase local musical talent.

“We should celebrate all walks of life,” Perry says. “There are a lot of bars around here, but there are also a lot of artists. There aren’t many venues to express oneself as an artist. I’m trying to give local artists a home.”

Now in his second season, the director has already revived several of his most popular stage plays, like “The Great Big Doorstep” and “The Kingfish.” Once he wraps up one production, he moves on to the next.

“Please forgive the ladder,” Perry says as he extends his hands to find stage right. “We’re still hanging lights.”

Aside from the ladder and a few props, black sheets cover the entire stage. The darkness helps Perry to see the movement of his actors.

“I see the world through a kaleidoscope,” he says. “If I’m in a crowd, someone will turn to me and say that the lights are out.”

That’s because Perry was diagnosed with adolescent glaucoma and, at age 17, “had eyes of an 80-year-old.” His vision impairment has not stopped him from doing what he loves to do. He has found a way to see the stage by memorizing small models of his sets and by having his actors wear bright colors against the black background. This enables him not only to direct, but also to pass over 30 years of acting skills on to his actors and students.

Perry recognizes that a play is supposed to be fun, but he also sees it as a professional business, one that has been suffering due to the economy. The Bayou Playhouse is scheduled to continue for a third season, but the theatre relies on support to keep its doors open.

“We really do need to grow our membership basis to a new level,” Karissa says. Single, family and corporate memberships are available and include the selection of four out of five performances offered throughout the season.

Perry says 35 to 40 percent of audience members had never seen live theatre before they attended a show at the Bayou Playhouse. Theatre attendance has also plummeted in New Orleans, where performance art was almost destroyed after Katrina.

“We do professional New York-quality theatre,” he says. “We are very proud of the quality of work we have brought here. The bulk of what we do is family-friendly and for all ages.”

It has been Perry’s lifelong passion to deliver the power of the stage
to any audience willing to experience his work.

“The one thing I can give to the world is escapism,” the director says. “If we can get their mind off having to pay the bills for two hours and let them laugh ... that’s our accomplishment.” PoV