Performing Arts
The performing arts programme kicked off with Improvizza! Malta’s First Improvisational Festival. A four-day event which hosted local and international performers and improvisers, culminating in a series of performances at the Spazju Kreattiv theatre. Maltese productions took prominence in our theatre programme this year with nine
productions. Our first collaboration was It- Teatru tal-Miskin, an original musical by Luke Saydon and directed by Denise Mulholland. The story was a queer coming-of-age story of a boy who dared to wear high heels, about intolerance and people’s innate fear of the unknown, set in the imaginary town of Ħal Fern. Ta’ Fuqha Senduqha followed, penned by André Mangion and directed by Toni Attard, premiered at Spazju Kreattiv in October 2022. The story delved deep into the current poverty situation in Malta through the depiction of different realities experienced by people who are socially and financially deprived. Simultaneously, in one of our studios as part of Arts Council Malta and Aġenzija Żgħażagħ’s Artivisti Programme, KomduSkomdu penned by Miguel Formosa and Lee-N Abela asked if the rules and perimeters that we live in today’s society make sense. Our last theatre commission for 2022 was KWIJNS, an entertaining piece of theatre by Maltese drag performers, penned by Simon Bartolo and directed by Ray Calleja. It featured five drag performers in a fantastical story of someone discovering their inner drag persona, featuring dancers and special guests Claudia Faniello and Debbie Scerri. The audience had many flamboyant surprises customary of the drag tradition of performance.
At the turn of 2023, the theatre season saw the premiere of Bil-Bieb Mitbuq, a theatre project with a contemporary vision based on Kevin Saliba’s Maltese translation of Jean-Paul Sartre’s No Exit (Huis Clos) and directed by Tyrone Grima. This multidisciplinary production brought together literary translation, theatre, film, dance and soundscape. Following the previous year’s success, Spazju Kreattiv and Festival Malta collaborated to stage two performances of Il-Qarċilla at the Spazju Kreattiv Theatre before it continued its run outdoors like in tradition. This endeavour allowed the public to visit St James Cavalier and experience the performance in a completely different setting. Studio 18 celebrated its 10th anniversary and hosted a special performance titled Il-Giddieb Għomru Twil, penned by Anton Saliba and directed by Jean-Marc Cafà. Inspired by Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio, the piece brought the renowned puppet’s story within a local context in a twisted tale that delved into the woes of a culture of impunity. In the Easter period, our theatre hosted the annual passion play produced by Carlos Farrugia and Joseph Galea. Fit-3pm, penned by Lon Kirkop, revolved around the pain of a couple losing a child. Pained by the loss, the father imagines what life would be like if his daughter survived as he battles his conflicting thoughts.
At the end of April, Spazju Kreattiv hosted Pastażuni – Tikber u Titnitten after hours, a stand-up comedy in Maltese intended for adults portraying a guy who’s looking back at his upbringing and sexual experiences, from the very first rude words at school to his first relationships as an adult. Written and directed by Joseph Galea, aided by unpublished poems by Trevor Żahra, and original records by Ċikku l-Poplu (aka Alex Vella Gregory) the show proved to be an entertaining watch for those who attended. Throughout the programme, other productions piqued the interest of different audiences, such as the adaptation by Brad Birch of Frank Wedekind’s coming-of-age classic Spring Awakening and Edward Bond’s post- apocalyptic tale Chair, both produced by Adrian Buckle and with British directors James Grieve and Clive Judd respectively at the helm. The now customary MalTease returned for its sixth edition with a blend of Maltese and international burlesque performers showcasing a highly diverse and entertaining show that always manages to lure enthusiastic audiences. Both The Trials of Magnus Coffinkey and Walking Home proved to be a moving experience within our intimate theatre space. The Trials of Magnus Coffinkey, penned by Malcolm and Angele Galea, created a fairytale in which a couple grieves the loss of their child born sleeping. The story outlines the grieving process of dealing with this loss through fictitious characters in a fairytale. On the other hand, Walking Home was a devised performance exploring the politics and tensions within the issue of sexual violence against women and people of marginalised genders.
The 2022 I 2023 season was also host to critically-acclaimed international shows from Italy, Belarus and Spain. L’Ultima Estate – Falcone e Borsellino – 30 Anni Dopo kicked off this series in collaboration with the Istituto Italiano di Cultura La Valletta. This event commemorated the 30th anniversary of the Capaci and Cia D’Amelio massacres. Writer’s Asylum followed in February. The performance’s starting point was photographs taken by Zmicer Waynowski, a direct participant in the Belarusian protests of 2020, who was able to capture all the main aspects of these complex and dramatic events. Told by the man himself, this performance proved to be a highly emotional night for those present. Closing off the international strand was I Will Celebrate My Death, a play supported by the Embassy of Spain in Malta, which narrated the events for which Dr Marcos Ariel Hourmann was convicted for practising euthanasia illegally in Spain with episodes from his own life in his native Argentina. In the end, the audience was asked to deliver the verdict and discuss the conflicting opinions of the matter with Dr Hourmann himself. The ongoing collaborations with Studio 18 saw the reintroduction of the Theatre Mentorship programme for the second year, where six participants participated in week-long lectures on stage management, costume design, production management and set design. Later on, in 2023, these participants were engaged in several theatre productions to carry out their mentoring within their chosen field. Together with Aġenzija Żgħażagħ, the commissioned piece Thirst Trap returned for another year, touring in various sixth forms around the island. This work was produced by Spazju Kreattiv, and developed by Studio 18, to tackle subjects such as consent, agency, sex work, commercialisation of the body, boundaries and body dysmorphia. The production successfully toured MCAST Paola and Mosta, The Institute of Tourism Studies in Luqa, KSU at the University of Malta Campus, Junior College in Msida, Verdala and finally at the Aġenzija Żgħażagħ premises in Santa Venera.
The theatre programme was again supported by Taħdita Teatru which is a series that provides a platform for artists and audiences to discuss the discipline and brings performances closer to interested audiences from a behind-the-scenes point of view. These talks, together with those of Art Additives, will be uploaded on the newly- created podcast channel for anyone to listen to at their convenience.
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PRODUCTIONS
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Taħdita Teatru
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FESTIVALS
Title | Start Date | End Date | Number of Performances | Language | Venue/s | Creative Team | Collaborators |
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September | |||||||
The Nobodies | 2021-09-13 00:00:00 | 2021-09-19 00:00:00 | 6 | English | Theatre | Cast: David Angland, Lucy Simpson, Joseph Reed Produced by Chalk Line Theatre Written by Amy Guyler Co-directed by Sam Edmunds and Vikesh Godhwani Designed by Becca White Sound Design by Mekel Edwards Lighting Design by Alan Walden | Arts Council England, COMMON, Pleasance Theatre, Camden People’s Theatre, The New Diorama and The Lion and Unicorn Theatre |
Is-Siġra tat-Tin | 2021-09-27 00:00:00 | 2021-10-03 00:00:00 | 3 | N/A | Theatre | Director: Toni Attard Author: Simone Spiteri in collaboration with artists from Opening Doors Performers: Cheyenne Aquilina, Caroline Bajada, Angela Bettoni, Sharon Bezzina, Denise Camilleri, Kurt Castillo, Peter Fenech, Benjamin Grech, Sarah Micallef, Jacob Piccinino, Justin Spiteri & Mark Zammit Cutajar Production coordinator, props and assistant stage manager: Anne Marie Camilleri Scenography: Romualdo Moretti Lights design: Chris Gatt Sound design: Michael Quinton Stage Manager: Annalisa Schembri Set Construction: Claudio Apap Production: Opening Doors Association | Arts Council Malta, Culture Venture, Opening Doors, University of Malta, AMASS, Udjenza, The Farsons Foundation |
Eyes to Argus – ‘in habit’ | Live | 2021-10-08 00:00:00 | 2021-10-09 00:00:00 | 2 | N/A | Theatre | Samwel Mallia (Bandmember, Design Consultant) Ben Mifsud Joslin (Bandmember, Content Consultant) Samuel Attard (Bandmember, Sound Consultant) Robert Farrugia (Bandmember, Networking Consultant) Toni Gialanze (Stage and Lights Design + Operator) Sergio Costa (Soundman) Aidan Somers (Opening Act, Solo) Owen Caruana (Opening Act, Bennie Blue) Andrew Debono (Opening Act, Bennie Blue) Daniel Ellul (Opening Act, Bennie Blue) Hadrien Meilleur (Opening Act, Bennie Blue) | |
Taralalla | 2021-10-25 00:00:00 | 2021-11-07 00:00:00 | 7 | Maltese | Theatre | Script: Lara Calleja Director: Lee-N Abela Performers: Christopher Spiteri, Toni Busuttil, Lilian Pace Vassallo, Sarah Camilleri, Clive Piscopo & Mark Laurence Zammit Set Design: Romualdo Moretti Set Construction: Claudio Apap Sound Design: Michael Quinton Light Design: Christopher Gatt Production Manager: Steve Cilia ASM: Noelle Borg | |
MPO Concert 1 | 2021-10-27 00:00:00 | – | 1 | N/A | Studio B | Jenny Melville: Oboe & Cor Anglais Inmaculada Muñoz Salgüero: Violin Mateusz Kùzma: Viola Yaroslav Miklukho: Cello Julia Miller: Piano | Malta Philharmonic Orchestra |
Brodu – Bambinella | 2021-11-12 00:00:00 | 2021-11-14 00:00:00 | 4 | N/A | Theatre | Brodu: Mark Abela, Andrew Micallef, Chris Mallia, Samuel Attard, Frederick Abdilla, Fiona Camilleri, Noemi Deulofeu Blanch, Audrey Mifsud, Eleonor Mifsud Is-Suffarin: Adolf Formosa Bainmarie: Samuel Falzon, Samuel Grima, Samuel Bonello, Rafel Grima Sound Engineer: Sergio Costa | |
Rediffusion jippreżenta… | 2021-11-12 00:00:00 | 2021-11-14 00:00:00 | 3 | Maltese | Studio B | Cast: Leigh Anne Abela, Henry Zammit Cordina, Charles Falzon, Carlos Farrugia, Rachelle Micallef, Chris Grech & Aaron Fenech Direction and Production: Joseph Galea Script: Trevor Zahra Research: Toni Sant | |
KorMalta – Concert 1 | 2021-11-26 00:00:00 | – | 1 | N/A | Studio B | ||
Girl in the Machine | 2021-12-03 00:00:00 | 2021-12-12 00:00:00 | 6 | English | Theatre | Michael Richardson – Producer and Director Isabel Warrington – Designer Matthew Gellel – Lighting Designer Matteo Depares – Sound designer (music) Alec Massa – Sound designer (voice) Lisa Baldacchino – Production stage manager Nicole Sciberras – Assistant stage manager Ella Manduca – Actor Tina Rizzo – Actor Gianni Selvaggi – Actor | |
KorMalta – Concert 2 (Xmas Special) | 2021-12-18 00:00:00 | 2021-12-19 00:00:00 | 2 | N/A | Atrium | Kor Malta | |
Skald | 2022-01-28 00:00:00 | 2022-01-29 00:00:00 | 2 | N/A | Theatre | ||
Castillo | 2022-02-11 00:00:00 | 2022-02-20 00:00:00 | 7 | Maltese | Theatre | Cast: Simone Spiteri as Emma (80s) Simone Zammit as Emma (Present) Rachel Genovese as Cathy Analise Mifsud as Amanda Francesca Scerri as ANNE (80s) Frida Cauchi as ANNE (Present) Daniela Carabott Pawley as GINA (80s + Present) Mark Doneo as Castillo Andre Mangion as Matteo | Take Two, Arts Council Malta |
Il-Qarċilla | 2022-02-25 00:00:00 | 2022-02-27 00:00:00 | 3 | Maltese | Theatre | CAST Nutar Gużi Loffreda – Matthew Balzan Tabib Dr. J.P. Zammit – Patrick Tanti Perit Frankie Concrete – Fabio Mifsud Spettur Klin De Chanteclair – Sandro Vella Benji-K – Karl Schembri Krista-Lina – Rachel Micallef Rev. Johnny Bendu – Nathaniel Galea Mattea Grech – Maria Galea Farrugia Darren Callus – Ryan Galea Wendy Termos – Stephanie Sacco MUSICIANS Albert Garzia (Accordion) Kim Mercieca (Saxophone) Matthew Vella (Percussion) CREW Script – Ċikku l-Poplu Producer and Director – Joseph Galea Assistant Producer – Svetlana Camilleri Musical Arrangements – Albert Garzia Costumes – Louie Noir / Marika Zarb Touch ups – Make up by Dea / Deandra Bugeja Stage Manager/props – Michael Carol Bartolo Light Design – Fabio Mifsud | Festivals Malta |
MPO Series – Concert 2 | 2022-02-23 00:00:00 | – | 1 | N/A | Studio B | Malta Philarmonic Orchestra | |
Thirst Trap | 2022-03-01 00:00:00 | 2022-03-12 00:00:00 | 6 | English | Schools & Studio A | Director: Philip Leone Ganado Actors: Lara Agius, Denise Perini, Alex Weenink & Gianluca Mifsud | Studio 18, Aġenżija Żgħażagħ |
Her Say | 2022-03-11 00:00:00 | 2022-02-13 00:00:00 | 3 | English/Maltese | Theatre | Direction and Production: Charlotte Grech Lights: Christopher Gatt Playwrights : Simone Spiteri, Lara Calleja and Chiara Hyzler Actresses: Monica Attard, Michela Farrugia and Angele Galea | |
KorMalta – Concert 3 -Buxtehude – Membra Jesu Nostri | 2022-03-25 00:00:00 | – | 1 | N/A | Studio B | Kor Malta, Malta School of Arts | |
NUTRICULA / Impossible actions | 2022-04-08 00:00:00 | – | 1 | N/A | Studio A | Performed by: Diellza Ilgner (DE) Hayden Grima (MLT) Mohamed Ali (Dali) Aguerbi (TN/MLT) Masha Shamin (RU/FR/) Rachelle (REA) Deguara (MLT) Rochelle Gatt (MLT) | |
Songcraft 2022 | 2022-04-01 00:00:00 | – | 1 | Maltese | Thetare | Participants: Emma Cutajar Lexi De Martino Eliana Gomez Blanco Hannah Angelone Angela Bonett Miguel Bonello | Aġenżija Żgħażagħ |
VARI | 2022-04-08 00:00:00 | 2022-04-16 00:00:00 | 7 | Maltese | Theatre | Script – Trevor Zahra Production & Direction – Joseph Galea & Carlos Farrugia Cast – Joseph Galea , Carlos Farrugia, Grecia Bezzina, Christine Francalanza, Petra Camilleri & Alexia Micallef Music Director – Alex Vella Gregory Projections – Mad About Video Lights Design – Adrian D. Bartolo Technical Operators – Ryan Galea & Holger Camilleri Stage Manager – Marjana Saliba Props Manager – John Vassallo Make-up – Agnes Pace Costumes – Carmen Zammit & Carolyne Portelli | |
0.0031 % | 2022-04-22 00:00:00 | 2022-04-24 00:00:00 | 3 | English | Studio B | Written: Malcolm Galea Directed: Denise Mulholland Starring: Malcolm Galea | |
MalTease | 2022-04-29 00:00:00 | 2022-05-01 00:00:00 | 3 | N/A | Theatre | Undine LaVerve – Producer, Creative Director and performer Henk Wolswijk – Resident singer and sound engineer Colin Fitz – host / MC Larissa – Resident Singer Gwilym Bugeja – Magic Alice Wolswijk – performer Bella Stardust – Burlesque performer Mabel Moonshine – Burlesque Performer BAM beauties – Lilithia Rose, Phage Nefarious, Queen of DeNile, WonderV, La Senorita Italiana, Miss Cravin Moore and more… Foreign artists: FrouFrou D’Absinth – Burlesque performer (Paris, France) Lilly Mortis – Burlesque performer (Berlin, Germany) Lolita VaVoom – Burlesque performer (Germany / USA) John Celestus – Boylesque performer (London, UK) | |
Ġiraffa Ħarbet minn Kastilja | 2022-05-13 00:00:00 | 2022-05-22 00:00:00 | 7 | Maltese | Theatre | Cast: Prime Minister – Peter Galea Assistant – Marjann Attard Police Commissioner – Karl Schembri Minister for Foreign Affairs – Anthony Ellul Journalist 1 – Charlotte Formosa Journalist 2 – Miguel Formosa Journalist 3 – Jacob Piccinino Giraffe – Antonella Axisa Creative team: Director – Daniel Azzopardi Playwright – Aleks Farrugia Lights Design – Christopher Gatt Sound Design – Michael Quinton Set Design & Construction – Romualdo Moretti & Claudio Apap Animation Artist – Jonathan Caruana Movement Choreographer – Christian Scerri Make-up & Hair Artist – Krista Zammit Marmara Costumist – Nicole Cuschieri ASM & Production Assistant – Ann-Marie Camilleri Intimacy Director – Simone Ellul | |
MPO Concert 3 | 2022-05-11 00:00:00 | – | 1 | N/A | Studio B | Malta Philarmonic Orchestra | |
KorMalta – Concert 4 | 2022-05-27 00:00:00 | – | 1 | N/A | Studio B | ||
Is-Sigra Tat-Tin (rerun) | 2022-06-03 00:00:00 | 2022-06-05 00:00:00 | 3 | N/A | Theatre | Director: Toni Attard Author: Simone Spiteri in collaboration with artists from Opening Doors Performers: Cheyenne Aquilina, Caroline Bajada, Angela Bettoni, Sharon Bezzina, Denise Camilleri, Kurt Castillo, Peter Fenech, Benjamin Grech, Sarah Micallef, Jacob Piccinino, Justin Spiteri & Mark Zammit Cutajar Production coordinator, props and assistant stage manager: Anne Marie Camilleri Scenography: Romualdo Moretti Lights design: Chris Gatt Sound design: Michael Quinton Stage Manager: Annalisa Schembri Set Construction: Claudio Apap Production: Opening Doors Association | Arts Council Malta, Culture Venture, Opening Doors, University of Malta, AMASS, Udjenza, The Farsons Foundation |
Snow White – Adult Panto | 2022-06-17 00:00:00 | 2022-07-03 00:00:00 | 9 | English | Theatre | Cast: Malcolm Galea – Dame Naomi Knight – Snow White Audrey Scerri – Evil Queen James Ryder – Narrator + All the little ones Joe Depasquale – Bert (Principal boy) Rambert Attard – Magic Mirror Undine LaVerve – Fairy Godmother Steve Hili as Steve Hili Creative team: Micheal Fenech – Producer Steve Hili – Writer/ Director Mariella Muscat – Make Up Jean Theuma – Costumes Chris Gatt – Lights | |
Il-Klus ta’ Clews | 2022-06-24 00:00:00 | 2022-06-26 00:00:00 | 3 | Malti | Studio B | Original Scripts & Songs (Makjetti) – Charles Clews Script Adaptation – Trevor Zahra Director / Producer – Joseph Galea Musical Arrangements – Alex Vella Gregory Actors – Joe Farrugia (Id-dulli); Mario Spiteri (Snits); Antonella Galea Loffreda; Joseph Galea Pianist – Alex Vella Gregory | |
Kisbiet Minsija | 2022-06-22 00:00:00 | 2022-06-23 00:00:00 | 2 | Malta | Studio A | Annalise Ebejer- Producer, Project Leader, Accessibility Officer Nicholas Gambin- Co Producer, director, stage manager Lara Aguis- Co Producer, director Robyn Vella- Actor Daniela Grech- Actor | Eastern Regional Council, Gasan Mamo & Farsons |
Dance Festival Malta | 2022-07-28 00:00:00 | 2022-08-01 00:00:00 | N/A | Theatre & Studio A |
music
For the second year in a row, Spazju Kreattiv hosted the Music Series comprising several concerts by alternative music bands who performed a mixture of repertoire hits and new material. First up in the series were the group ĠENN. For their first time performing on the islands after their relocation, ĠENN presented material from Liminal and some of their upcoming material. They were supported by Hearts Beating in Time who is an electronic songwriter and sound designer from Malta. In April, Spazju Kreattiv produced a concert in collaboration with local singer Alexandra Alden and award-winning British illustrator and author Chris Riddell. On the Cosmic Shore was a sell-out performance focused on the connection that as islanders, our identities are embedded in the rocks – our homes, cities and temples are built from honey-coloured limestone. The theatre provided an intimate space in which the audience closely followed Riddell’s pencil illustrations, while Alden sang through her musical repertoire. In its fourth year, Songcraft 2023, in collaboration with Aġenzija Żg ħażag ħ, was organised as a professional programme for talented singer-songwriters aged 14 – 20. Six participants met with their respective mentors to improve their music skills. Spazju Kreattiv’s communications team hosted a session related to Marketing and Branding with the young participants and discussed how best to promote their music and develop their careers. On the other hand, a group of workers from Aġenzija Żg ħażag ħ closely followed their progress and offered them guidance appropriately. The participants finally presented their work in front of a packed audience in a live concert organised in the theatre of Spazju Kreattiv in July.
Our partnership with Electronic Music Malta continued with the annual Circuits 2022, which consisted of an over five-hour long summit that brought together performers, music professionals, an audiologist and sound engineers to Spazju Kreattiv for in-depth experiences of learning, playing, and performing. Throughout the season, the voluntary organisation hosted seven other events, from DIY Synth workshops to cinema screenings. The programme was also host to our collaboration with KorMalta – Malta’s National Choir, which kicked off in 2022 with the now popular Christmas Concert at the Atrium in December, eloquently contributing to the Christmas cheer surrounding Valletta throughout this period. The concert series continued throughout 2023, with live sessions in March and another in May.
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Dance
This season saw the return of the biannual initiative ŻfinMade, which is a development programme by ŻfinMalta and part of its ongoing commitment to cultivating contemporary dance practice on the island. Responding to the theme of ‘New Futures’, under the artistic direction of Paolo Mangiola, six emerging choreographers and artists working with the movement were invited to create a series of solos and duets with the company dancers. In a similar vein, Spazju Kreattiv collaborated on the first edition of Dance Festival Malta, a new national event that strives to cultivate a dance ecosystem in Malta by providing dance students and professionals with a platform for intense training and professional development.
Spazju Kreattiv hosted several performances over four days and welcomed audiences enthusiastic about dance. Spazju Kreattiv is by now a prominent platform for collaborations in the performing arts field, both in Malta and internationally. With its commitment to promoting new writing, and innovative practices, the programme has provided emerging artists with opportunities to showcase their talents and develop their craft. Through its diverse range of events and initiatives, Spazju Kreattiv has played an essential role in the cultural life of Malta, contributing to the growth and development of the country’s creative ecology.