The Government Inspector

We are excited to announce our touring production for 2023/24 is a Splendid creative adaptation of ‘The Government Inspector’, an 1836 comedy written by Ukrainian playwright Nickolai Gogol.

The play is a satirical prod at power, privilege, corruption and classism set in a small provincial town whose public servants – including the untrustworthy Mayor – are told they are to be assessed by an anonymous official: The Government Inspector.

At the same time, an idiotic aristocratic stranger arrives in town, setting the stage for an escalating masterclass in political farce.

In Splendid’s new adaptation, a highly skilled cast of three will populate an entire town of panicking officials, dismayed citizens and feckless fantasists in a fast-paced, one-hour performance which asks: if absolute power corrupts absolutely, what happens when you only have a tiny bit of power? 

SEPTEMBER 2023 UPDATE: We’re delighted to say that the schools’ tour is now provisionally sold out, so the best way to see the show now is to come and see us in a theatre. Tickets are now available for all 5 theatre venues we’re visiting this tour – see the links below. If you are interested in an in-school performance, you can fill in our booking form to be added to our waiting list as there are often cancellations over the course of the tour. 

BOOKING INFORMATION

Our Government Inspector tour will operate slightly differently to previous Splendid tours. The production is still our usual 1hr multi-roling cast of three with no tech requirements, but we are changing the structure of our sessions. This year we are offering:

• 1hr performance + 30min Q&A session (approx. 2hr visit) for £650+VAT (available for morning, afternoon, or after school/evening sessions.)
• 1hr performance + 1 or 2 4hr workshop session/s (approx. 5.5hr day) for £1300+VAT
• Public performances in a selection of theatres (tickets available soon)

The prices include travel & accommodation. There’s no limit to audience size for shows, and for full-day sessions we can offer up to 2 workshops for a maximum of 25 students each depending on suitable spaces.

This year’s workshops are:

• Splendid Style in relation to The Government Inspector
• Physical Storytelling (episodic structure, heightened characterisation, actor as everything)  – useful for young devisers.

Our mighty accompanying education pack comes with all bookings and for the first time will include practical exercises to use in class after our visit to explore Splendid Style.

We plan to film the show in early 2024.

Regular Splendid bookers will notice this is a reduction of workshopping time and an increase in prices. This reflects both the rising price and financial risk of touring theatre, and a recognition of the workload placed on our small cast. (The tour also begins later than previous years to accommodate our OLIVER-NOMINATED summer show at Shakespeare’s Globe & Shakespeare North: Midsummer Mechanicals.)

Theatre dates and tour schedule are below, you can use the booking form to request a date or email us if you have any questions.