The final cultural event of the season, the fourth annual Saint-Barth Theatre Festival took place from May 3- 13, 2005. This festival is organized by Nadège Emmanuélian, co-founder and director of the amateur theatre company, SB Artists. All residents of the island yet come from afar, the nine women in the company were joined by two men this year. As there is no real thearical venue on the island (even though the cultural organizations on the island have made their need known to the municipality), the company must borrow spaces in which they can perform.They began seven years ago on the beach of the Eden Rock where benches were set up in front of a small stage for seaside performances. For several years after that the company was able to rehearse and perform at Café Café in Lurin, and this year was the second time that LouLou Magras lent them the Bagdad Galeryin Gustavia. There was also a performance at Glacier Show in St. Jean, above Villa Créole, this year for young and old alike. The festival program attraced a varied audience. Nadège Emmanuélian invited the Parisian company, Les Goulus, and their founder, Jean-Luc Prévost. They presented three comic productions as well as street theatre. For example, they strolled amongst the crowd at the closing night of the St. Barth Film Festival at AJOE. Disguised as Dupond and Dupond, the slapstick policemen from the adventures of Tintin and Snowy, the actors interacted with the film audience right before the projection got underway, adding a touch of humor to the evening. Last year, they used the streets of Gustavia as their ambulatory stage, dressed as Monty Python, Bacchus, Cupid, and even a giant spider. Also invited to perform in the festival was the company, Les Déplacés, from Guadeloupe. They presented “Ton beau capitaine,” a play written by Simone Schwarz-Bart and performed by Ruddy Sylaire, an actor originally from Haiti. The play evokes exile, solitude, and the pain of a couple who are forced to be apart. As for SB Artists, they performed six different pieces, including dialogues, written by various authors such as Ribes, Tardieu, Foissy, Grumberg, Millot, and Kressmann Taylor. The texts, some of which were freely adapted by the actors themselves, were a mix of humor, cynicism, high drama, and their common ground was their look at contemporary society. All of the shows were sold out, with over 50 people at each performance. Taking into consideration the modest price of the tickets, and the small size of the hall, the box office is not enough to cover the costs of producing such a festival. But thanks to the creativity of Nadège and the business sense of Martine, the president of the association lSB Artists, the budget was balanced in the end. In spite of the financial difficulties, Nadège is firmly committed to continuing the festival and is already thinking about the texts her company will perform next year as the event celebrates its fifth anniversary. Maybe Feydeau or even Sacha Guitry for a real change of pace.

  A sailor without a boat

Philippe Renauld was the owner of Do, a sailboat that ran aground in the Bay of St. Jean on Sunday, May 1, 2005. The damage was so extensive that the boat had to be towed to Public where it was broken into pieces before it was burned at the incinerator on May 6. With the loss of his boat, which had been his home since 1991, Philippe’s dreams have gone up in smoke. For the past year he had been preparing an ocean voayge, intending to sail as far as the Pacific Ocean. He had intended to set sail the morning after the accident. A professional skipper, he had taken a year off from work to take this trip, and his savings were gone with the boat. Without a penny in his pocket, and without his boat, Philippe has to start all over. Yet he has been helped by many people and he would like to thank everyone who has so generously helped him get back on his feet. Two boxes were made available for contributions, one at the Deux Shipchandler du Port Franc in Gustavia and the second in the reception area at the Village St. Jean hotel. To help Philippe, you can also contact Catherine Charneau, a longtime friend