Haitian revolutionary Toussaint L'Ouveture, and an 87-year-old man whose life parallells the trail of Halley's Comet, are some of the subjects that will provide a new slant to the local theatre scene this year.

At least three American theatre companies will be visiting Bermuda under the banner of the newly-formed Stage One Productions during March, May and July.

John Amos of `Roots' and `Good Times' fame, and Antonio Fargas from `Starsky and Hutch' and the movie `Shaft' are just two of the well known actors who have signed up for the three-production Drama Fest '94 at City Hall.

Founders J. Reese Bartley (executive director) and Kensley McDowell (executive producer) say that their aim in establishing the new company is to promote the cause of professional drama on the Island. Acknowledging that local amateur theatre is booming as never before, they believe that their planned presentations can only enhance and inspire this trend.

"Although our first three presentations are from the States, we shall be drawing on contacts in the UK and the West Indies for future shows,'' says Mr.

McDowall.

The Carpetbag Theatre, Inc., based in Knoxville, Tennessee, will present `Dark Cowgirls and Prairie Queens' from March 10-12 inclusive. Written by the company's artistic director, Linda Parris-Bailey, the play dramatises the lives of seven remarkable black women who participated in the opening up of the West between 1830 and 1890.

Speaking from her home in Tennessee, Ms Parris-Bailey says that she wrote the play about ten years ago -- "It was not such a fashionable subject then, and quite some time before the current rush of films that deal, in a more realistic way, with indigenous Americans, and cowboys.'' Admitting that it was difficult to obtain first-hand documentation, she says that several books were written about the experiences of black people in those days, such as Black West by William Lorenz Katz. She also made use of cowboy museums in the mid-West. She has taken some of these stories and presented them as vignettes, bound together by a narrator.

"One of things people love about this play is the music. It is not a musical, but there are traditional and cowboy songs running throughout, mostly a capella or guitar.'' Some of these include Buffalo Gals, and she is quick to point out, "Everyone knows `The Yellow Rose of Texas', but few people realise that the Yellow Rose was Emily Morgan West and she was a black woman.'' Just as in real life, she says, her group of women include those who were heroic, some who were bawdy: "Some of the women who gathered in the mining towns that sprung up in the West were prostitutes.'' One of the pivotal characters in the play is Mary Ellen Pleasants. "She was a controversial figure, a kind of chameleon and people didn't know too much about her background. She was called `Mammy Pleasant'. It's known that she acquired a lot of property. But in fiction, she has been depicted as an evil woman. She `prepared' young girls for marriage to rich men and it seems certain that she contributed to the cause of John Brown.'' Ms Parris-Bailey's company was formed in 1970 as a community venture dedicated to the production of new works by minority artists. A core ensemble of six actors tours throughout the States and has appeared at such venues as the Lincoln Centre in New York, Atlanta, California and Washington, DC.

Carpetbag Theatre will also stage a special production for children during their visit, with a matinee performance of `Cric Crac', a collection of black folk tales from Haiti, Senegal and the Southern United States. "We love taking these shows on the road,'' enthuses Linda Parris-Bailey: "We have just been on a five-week tour. We travel by van, so it gets a little tiring! We were fi nally rolling back into Knoxville and everyone went real quiet. Then someone said, `When are we going back out?' We really do love touring and, of course, we can't wait to come to Bermuda!'' Carpetbag Theatre's May 11, 12 and 13 production will feature the Junior Black Academy of Toussaint: Angel Warrior of Haiti, starring Antonio Fargas. From July 25-27, the John Harms Centre for the Arts will present John Amos in his acclaimed one-man show, Halley's Comet.

Stage One spokesman Mr. Bartley says a special package price of $75 is being offered for advance sales of the three productions. Regular price will be $30 per ticket. For further information, telephone 295-4359 or 236-6955.

ROOTS STAR FOR BERMUDA -- Actor John Amos, who achieved international fame for his role as the adult Kunte Kinte in the mini-series `Roots', and also known for his role as the father in the TV hit series `Good Times', will appear in Stage One Production's Drama Fest '94.

CRIC CRAC -- A scene from the special children's matinee, Cric Crac, which will be staged by the Carpetbag Theatre during their Bermuda visit in March.

Their main production will be Dark Cowgirls and Prairie Queens.