Penza, 16 March 2015. PenzaNews. Actors of the Penza Lunacharsky Regional Drama Theater rehearse after their working hours to prepare a new comedy “Funny Money,” which received no budget funding.

“The theater management holds an experiment: a fully for-profit play – and Ray Cooney’s plays enjoy success in all Russian cities without an exception – is staged as a joint project with a for-profit producer center ‘Partnership of SK actors.’ We have raised funds from private contributors that allowed us to build the scenery set, to buy or make costumes, and provide for other needs. Once the box-office from the premiere plays covers the expenses, the performance will fully enter the repertoire of the Penza Drama Theater,” Vitaly Sokolov, literary and playwriting manager of the Drama Theater, told PenzaNews agency.

The play is produced by Sergei Kazakov, artistic director of the theater and a Honored Artist of Russia, and directed by a young actor Artem Samokhin, who is already known for setting up the play reading evenings, he added.

“Ilya Kochetkov plays the main part of the accountant Henry Perkins; Marina Matvevnina and Elena Pavlova ‘take turns’ playing his wife Jane; Albina Smelova and Nikolai Potapov play their friends, Betty and Victor Johnson; Albert Ibraev and Nikolai Shapovalov play as Bill the taxi driver. The roles of both police officers are played by stage directors Sergei Kazakov (as inspector Slayton) and Artem Samokhin (as inspector Davenport),” the speaker said.

The play “Funny Money” is scheduled to premiere on April 20, Vitaly Sokolov noted.