Behind the Beyond Community Theatre Foundation cast members during their rehearsal of the Russian classic, The Government Inspector.
PHILIPSBURG--Seventeen Behind the Beyond Community Theatre Foundation cast members have been busy for the past few months preparing for theatre Director Albina Matuzko’s second production, a Russian classic called The Government Inspector.
The play is scheduled for the Philipsburg Cultural Community Centre on June 15, 16 and 17. Matuzko was the toast of St. Maarten’s theatre scene last year when she staged her first production of Stephen Leacock’s comic play Behind the Beyond.
The Government Inspector was written in1842 by Russian writer Nikolai Gogol. It has been made into several movies and has been performed all over the world, in practically every language and at every level from amateur theatre to college campus to magnificent theatrical stage productions. Most of all, the play is still as relevant and recognisable today as it was all those years ago.
“Our new production is another classic in every sense of the word even though it is 176 years old. The story is about human nature, the vulnerabilities that we all have, the exposure of our ambitions and the steps we are prepared to take in realising those ambitions. It’s about knowing who we are, where we’ve come from and a hint of where we should not be going,” Matuzko said in a press release on Sunday.
She is once again putting her cast of players forward for mention because of their amazing commitment to the arts in St. Maarten, recognising the many, many hours they have spent in the past weeks and months rehearsing lines and working out the finer points of the production, even though many of them had their own personal lives and businesses disrupted by Hurricane Irma last year.
“This is the most amazing group of talent that I am so happy to work with because of their commitment and drive. They keep me going when at times I’ve felt like just giving up. We have had many challenges to get to this moment of our production after deciding last year to make our next production The Government Inspector.
“It was impossible to find a place to rehearse and practice our craft, and when we finally found a place in the Cole Bay area, Hurricane Irma came and took that way from us,” she recalled.
She remembers thinking at the time what she could possibly do to keep her troupe together, some of whom had never been on stage before, but all of whom were needed if the new production, with its demand for a large number of performers, was to have any chance of being performed to a St. Maarten audience.
She said that with support from the Netherlands Representative Office in Philipsburg VNP immediately after Hurricane Irma, Behind the Beyond Community Theatre Foundation had been able to provide its own brand of emotional relief to local communities by teaming up with Clowns Without Borders to bring laughter and joy in St. Maarten.
With this new sense of purpose, the group continued with its production of The Government Inspector when members learned that Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds would be donating to the group so that they could continue with their production. Matuzko is thankful to Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds for its generous support.
“I can honestly say that without the donation we received from Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, together with VNP and Oranje Fonds, which was the sponsor of the SXM DOET programme that has assisted groups like ours, we would not have been able to continue with our production after Hurricane Irma took away all that we had, such as props, costumes, etc.” said Matuzko.
“I remember at the time that all of our spirits were down when we realised we could not continue. When Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds said they could help us, I can’t describe in words how happy we were and how grateful we are to them for recognising the importance of supporting the arts after something as devastating as Hurricane Irma had shaken everything up.”
Matuzko, members of the cast, volunteers and fans of Behind the Beyond Community Theatre Foundation will be stepping up the pace of their rehearsals in the coming days as the opening night deadline draws nearer.
