International Student Productions Enschede, InSPE in short, performed the first production in its existence last year, West Side Story. Next year another well-known Broadway musical will follow: Fiddler on the Roof. 'We started with a very long list, but this musical fits best with what we want: a large-scale production with plenty of room for acting, singing, dancing and an orchestra,' says InSPE secretary Marit Bot.
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof premiered on Broadway in 1964. The story takes place at the beginning of the twentieth century in Russia and is about Tevje, a Jewish milkman with five daughters. He tries to preserve Jewish traditions, despite outside pressure: his daughters want to marry for love and in tsarist Russia Jews are subject to intimidation by authorities.
Normally the orchestra is always invisible to the public at a musical. Not with Fiddler on the Roof, where one of the musicians sits on a raised spot on stage as a 'fiddler on the roof'.
This autumn the auditions are planned, which are open to all students from Enschede. Before that time, the foundation still has an important financial hurdle to overcome. 'Our application for a financial guarantee now lies at the UT', explains Bot. 'A large Broadway musical involves a large budget. As a young student foundation we cannot take the financial risks, and the Student Union and cultural umbrella organisation Apollo do not have the capital for it either. That's why we ask the UT to guarantee.'
At an earlier large-scale student production, Jesus Christ Superstar (before the foundation was founded), the UT was also the guarantor, says Bot. 'And we didn't even have to use the money. But it's an exciting period. The light is still on amber for now, but we hope that the UT will give us the green light soon.'
ANBI status
InSPE secured a so-called ANBI status (public benefit institution). This provides a tax advantage for benefactors and makes it more attractive to donate to InSPE.
Full house
Corona also provides the student foundation with the necessary challenges. 'We hope that the virus continues to weaken and that we don't have to do the auditions digitally. Though I think we can plan things very well under the current circumstances,' says Bot. 'But what the situation will be like next year in May is very uncertain. We're hoping that we can just play in front of a full house.'
What the audience can expect? 'It's a student production. Even though the age is low, the energy is high and we set the bar high in quality and size,' says Bot. 'We're a young foundation and not yet a household name, but this musical should help us put ourselves on the map in Enschede and the rest of the region.'
