Check the link at the top of the right column for ticket information and sales for our October premiere of “No Hitchin’”

You can also click on the eTix logo to go to ticket sales online.

The Techeland Arts Council teamed up with locally-renowned author and photographer Mariana Titus at the Baldwin library July 26 to present an evening of dialogue, sharing techniques on the art of interviewing.

It was part of a continuing effort by the Techeland Arts Council to document and archive the oral history and folklore of the people of the Bayou Teche area in St. Mary Parish.

Titus brought a wealth of knowledge on the fine art of gathering anecdotes and stories, having authored five successful books that showcase the colorful and unique Bayou Teche area of Louisiana. She is well known for her ability to transcend cultural barriers and her work emphasizes the openness and appreciation for all aspects of life along Bayou Teche that she holds so dear.

According to her website, www.bayoutales.com, Mariana prefers stories that give the “…gift of a valuable lesson. Old folks are good with these, but sometimes just a simple exchange between old friends makes a great story.”

All of her publications, ‘Rain, Cane, Bayou Refrain’, ‘Hurricanes, Healings and Dancing Ceilings’, ‘Summers Full of Porch Bull’, ‘Graveyards and Bayou Bars’, and her latest, ‘Sunday Mornings, Crowning Glories,’ can be ordered from her website.

Titus’ unique perspectives on a variety of subjects ranging from life to death in the southern Bayou state are well-reflected in her books. Through her photographic lens and her colorful text, she depicts her subject’s views of such time-honored traditions as planting and harvesting of sugar cane or peeling crawfish and drinking beer, all the while eloquently touching on such universal themes as family belonging, generosity, loss and loyalty.

After many years of work, Techeland Arts Council is proud to present our premiere performance!

Friday, Oct. 14,2011 at 7:30 p.m.

Sat., Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Sun., Oct. 16 at 5:00 p.m.

and for 2012

Fri., March 16 at 7:30 p.m.

Sat., March 17 at 7:30 p.m.

Sun., March 18 at 3 p.m.

To whet the appetite of our sponsors and supporters, a short, rough preview of No Hitchin’ was presented in late 2011 in a dinner theater performance. Three segments, taken from actual interviews of our own local citizens let our audience excited and impressed! In addition to a fine meal, there was a silent and live auction.

Now we’re heading down the road to a final production, with a date to be announced in the near future. Techeland Arts Council is committed to bringing to the live stage something that has never before been experienced in south Louisiana: The history, oral traditions, folk tales and memories of a culture and a people unlike any other in the world, told in their own words, and entailing all the drama, laughter and music of the best theatrical tradition.

Our members and volunteers have been interviewing people, drawing on documented sources and searching every nook and cranny to find the heart and soul of the area we call Techeland, most particularly the western part of St. Mary Parish, Louisiana. We are a diverse culture: Europeans of varied descent, Native Americans, African-Americans, Asian Americans, steeped in a centuries-long volume of history.

Nestled on the banks of Bayou Teche, an ancient route of the Mississppi River, our area was a port and a trade route along the bayou that began some 130 miles to the northwest and ends at the Atchafalaya River. The Chitimacha Indians called these lands and waters home for eight thousand years.

When the first colonists arrived, they were Spanish, followed by French and finally English, German and other such peoples who came to these rich, fertile bottomlands and swamps to make business, farm, trap and live. Their grande plantations were worked by African slaves, who after the Civil War set about making these lands their homes, by choice. The Cajun people who came here after their exile from Nova Scotia were so at home in the black water swamps and marshes they became legend.

No Hitchin’ is the story of all of them, from a time before recorded history to the days of great sugar plantations and to the drilling of the first oil well in the Gulf of Mexico.

No Hitchin’ is the upcoming event you won’t want to miss!

The lives and deaths, the joys and tribulations, good times and bad, of a small community nestled along Bayou Teche in south Louisiana. It’s a community stretching back thousands of years, from the first indigenous Native American tribes to the European immigrants, the African slaves they brought with them, and with the arrival of the outcast Acadians. It’s a community steeped in history so deep and so rich the telling of it is sure to elicit laughter, tears and unending respect.

Members of Techeland Arts Council have been working several years to prepare this live presentation based on the places, people and events that have made this part of Louisiana like no other in this great state. Dozens of interviews with members of every age group, every race, every walk of life have conjoined to bring No Hitchin’ to life.

In the pages of this site, see what we’ve been doing, and how we’ve got here. Our premiere production is under development, with a firm date to be announced in the near future.

We’ve got stories to tell. We’re sure you’ll love them!

Watch a movie with some of our No Hitchin’ interview segments and scenes of our community!