In Feb. and March, Theatre New Brunswick presents Beneath Springhill directed by Beau Dixon. The music in the play recalls the events during the disaster, the effect it had on a family and the racial tensions in the town of Springhill. The play is a celebration of hope, courage and community.
Beneath Springhill is a true story that follows Maurice Ruddick and his family during the Springhill mining disaster of 1958, known as “the bump.” Ruddick and six other men were stuck underground together for nine days. They kept their spirits high by singing while trapped.
“I play Maurice along with his wife Norma and [Valerie] one of their twelve children at the time of the bump,” said actor and St. Thomas University alum Nathanael Telman.
He said Ruddick is the pillar of hope, always doing his best to support the men around him. Norma, on the other hand, is strong and resilient above ground for her family. Telman added Valerie lends a child’s perspective to such a tragic situation.
For Telman, it was not only a challenge to portray Ruddick’s personality but to also play three characters — from a ten-year-old kid to both of her parents — with different physicalities and perspectives.
When Theatre New Brunswick announced the production of this play, he got very excited.
“As a person of colour, especially in the Maritimes, few roles are written for people who look like us,” he said. “So to see a role for a black man, that is based on a true local story, was a new and tremendously exciting opportunity.”
Telman said reading the script and seeing how positive and uplifting Ruddick is motivated him to be part of the play, becoming a “fun challenge to portray his hope in the darkness.”
“You want to portray Ruddick’s personality but also play up the seriousness of the situation. Maurice is incredibly hopeful and upbeat considering the circumstances, so balancing his positivity without ever being too light about what is going on was a challenge.”
It is possible to see in the play Rubbick’s natural positivity at the top of the show, since he didn’t allow the coldness he receives from some community members to bring him down.
However, Telman said the audience can see how the mine equalizes the men of the community, while “under there they were just people trying to survive.”
But also the play shows how after the bump how much one person like Ruddick can influence the minds of many.
Telman said “it is inspiring” to see how Ruddick and the other men he was trapped with survived longer than anyone anticipated.
“When people work together and support each other anything can be possible,” he said.
He added this event became an example of perseverance and teamwork.
“For me, playing a role intended for a black man is new and exciting,” said Telman, while reassuring the ability for theater to demonstrate a range of perspectives.
He sees this play as an opportunity to not only show local audiences their own history but to also show that there are roles available for anyone who wants to be an actor, no matter who they are.
