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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 MARCH 2019 5 THIS WEEK THEATRE timeless qualities. Would you say that this take on Macbeth will feel 'topical' in any way, particularly in your fleshing out of the Lady Macbeth character? The psychological landscape in Macbeth is rife with fractures in its foundations. What makes this ver- sion so alluring is that rather than focusing on the bigger picture, Clive Judd has helped us navigate even the tiniest of chasms to reveal the core that lies hidden beneath the greater construct of the play. We want au- diences to see snippets of a life they recognise. Themes like 'jealousy' and 'ambition' became the first sediment in our explorations that revealed a core ignited by doubt, questions and hopes. My experience in the role of Lady Macbeth has revealed a wom- an who is completely and utterly heartsick and disillusioned by the patriarchal and hierarchical struc- tures in her society; a sentiment I am sure many women, in light of recent events, may share. What do you make of Clive Judd's approach to the material? Does it differ to previous experiences you've had of performing Shakespeare locally? Clive has been described as a 'mav- erick actor's director' and I couldn't agree more. I've been really fortunate in that I've worked with numerous directors like Clive over the years who have an incredible respect for the actor's journey and who gener- ously create a world for the actors to play in and then take a step back. But Clive has amazed me time and time again by his incredible eloquence in creating this haunting world for us to explore. The detail he has offered us going into the work, coupled with his generosity and sense of responsi- bility for creating art that resonates, has me dreading the day this show closes. Nothing means more to Clive than the life of each and every one of the characters in the space. I'd always felt that the script alluded to an isola- tion for the Macbeths as the timeline progressed, but to experience it as it played itself out in improvisations has been gut-wrenching. Every sin- gle person on this stage holds within them a world within a world. He has this uncanny ability to make an actor feel safe and willing to challenge their boundaries. Wherever your attention wanders on the stage, there is a story playing out. What do you make of the local theatrical scene? What would you change about it? International collaborations are at the forefront of the Arts Council's agenda and I'm blessed to be working with Unifaun Theatre that has made it their mission to challenge the local scene with foreign collaborations. I'd love to see this continue to grow and I'd love to see national productions tour internationally, offering actors an opportunity to be part of a run that extends for months at a time, allowing us to immerse ourselves in a role in a way we've not yet been able to do before. Also, I'd love to see more programmed productions with women in the title role. There's been an incredible push, locally, by directors and producers over the past decade to balance the number of roles in a play, often changing the roles which would have traditionally been played by men, to be played by women, and it's been really excit- ing to see how these roles are re- interpreted as a result of the switch. But I'd love to see more of my own struggles and triumphs playing out on the stage when I go to the thea- tre. Theatre should serve as an expe- riential laboratory to make sense of a world that seems to make so little sense otherwise. Equal representa- tion would go a long way in serving this cathartic experience. What's next for you? First things first: a well-earned Ro- man Holiday to say a proper good- bye to the Lady and to replenish myself with a new art work. There are a few projects in the works but the one I'll be jumping straight into after Macbeth is a passion project in collaboration with Engage Crea- tives. In 2017, Renzo Spiteri, Lucia Piquero and myself were awarded a grant to create Terra Verunt, an in- terdisciplinary piece about child mi- gration that premiered at the Malta International Arts Festival that year. Now, the same team has begun de- veloping an adaptation of Federico Garcia Lorca's Yerma. We found in our little team a community of art- ists who are passionate about social dialogue and through interdiscipli- nary and international collabora- tions, we'll be exploring the role of 'language' and how it equally binds and divides communities. I also re- cently became a resident member of More or Less Theatre. The company is renowned for producing and tour- ing new original productions locally and we're working towards develop- ing theatre that should go on to tour internationally over the next couple of years. Macbeth will be staged at the Ma- noel Theatre, Valletta on March 15, 16, 17 and 18 at 8pm. Bookings: bookings@teatrumanoel.com.mt "It's taken a toll on me in many ways and my sleep has suffered tremendously, but like all great roles to be played, Lady Macbeth has taught me an incredible deal about myself" Erica Muscat rehearses for her role as Lady Macbeth in the upcoming Unifaun Theatre production of William Shakespeare's classic drama, staged at the Manoel Theatre. Photo by Mark Zammit Cordina