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MT 8 July 2018

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4 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 8 JULY 2018 THIS WEEK ART First of all, as one of our most energetic and versatile actors – could you give us a recap on what you've been up to so far? What were some of the most recent milestones you could mention, and how was it like to expand your career beyond our shores? It has been a busy first half of 2018, working mostly behind the scenes, laying the ground- work for what's to come. This includes taking my one-man show 'Bad Dad' to North America, working on some new writing, and adapting an existing script of mine for a production next year. I have also recently wrapped up post-production on a short comedy film that I wrote and produced. We're submitting it to festivals and it will pre- miere in August at a festival in Oregon in the USA. My fo- cus has been mainly outside our shores, not just across the pond, but also in the UK. I perform and co-produce with Steve Hili a comedy called 'How to be a Londoner in an Hour'. We performed the show in London as a work-in- progress a couple of months ago, and will perform it again at the Camden Fringe Festival this summer. The 'Summer Shakespeare' production at San Anton is something of a local theatri- cal institution. How does it feel to be a part of it? I'm thrilled to be return- ing to perform at San Anton after an absence of 14 years! Performing in the MADC Shakespeare is such a unique experience. The venue is one of my all-time favourites. There's something magical about it that's hard to de- scribe. My first Shakespeare with the MADC was a one- line part in Hamlet, in the late 90s. I remember it like it was yesterday, seeing Jes Camilleri in the title role and thinking "I'd really like to be as good as him someday". It was very in- spirational for me as a young actor, just starting out. I've since performed Shakespeare across the UK, including at Kensington Palace Gardens, but performing at San Anton remains a highlight. How did it feel to be brought on board for this particular production, and what do you make of the rest of your cast, and Philip Leone-Ganado's directorial approach? I'm very glad they asked me to be a part of it! I think the cast is fantastic. The company works well and the chemistry between the actors is dynam- ic. I think that's important, es- pecially in a play like this. The approach in rehearsal is play- ful and engaging, and some really great work is coming out of that. I'm glad to be fi- nally working with Philip as a director. I'm a fan of his work with Shakespeare at The Pub, and I'm delighted to discover that he's my kind of director – collaborative, informed and inventive. As someone known for their dynamic, brash approach to on-stage comedy, what's it like to redirect those energies into the doggedly contem- plative character of Jaques? I'll admit this is a depar- ture from my on-stage per- sona that Maltese audiences are used to seeing, however it is more closely linked with my background and train- ing. I've spent over a decade in the UK where I toured in various Shakespeare produc- tions playing characters that were neither brash, nor loud. At the end of the day, acting is acting as long as it's truth- ful. The trick in this case, is to find what Jaques' mel- ancholy is about. As always with Shakespeare, this is not a simple answer and the rea- sons are varied, nuanced and deeply rooted in human com- plexity. The challenge is being truthful to all of that. The rest is just technique. What do you make of the local theatrical scene? What would you change about it? It's an interesting time for the local theatre scene. Au- diences are exposed to more productions than ever before. This is a double-edged sword. It means that there is more theatre being produced, how- ever, it doesn't seem to me that audience numbers are increasing significantly. In the same way that internationally, there are now so many TV series that it has become im- possible to watch them all, it has become pretty much im- possible to see everything on offer in the local scene. The size of the pie has remained the same, but there are more slices being cut out of it. Therefore audiences (with a few exceptions) have become more diluted. New audiences need to be nurtured and new markets need to be found. I believe the former is being addressed somewhat, with productions being taken to schools and with the introduction of incen- tives such as the Culture Pass, Laughing at human complexity Versatile comic actor Christopher Dingli will soon be uttering the classic Shakespearean monologue on how 'all the world's a stage' at San Anton Gardens, as he takes on the role of Jaques in As You Like It – this year's 'Summer Shakespeare' offering by the MADC. He speaks to TEODOR RELJIC about diving into the Bard's work once again Christopher Dingli as Jaques in As You Like It: "The approach in rehearsal is playful and engaging, and some really great work is coming out of that"

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