Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1122280
THIS WEEK THEATRE maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 MAY 2019 6 Scottish playwright Erin Carter speaks to TEODOR RELJIC about crafting VII (Sette), a dramatisation of the events of Sette Giugno directed by the musical duo The New Victorians and presented by Teatru Malta What attracted you to this production, and how do you think it pertains to your earlier work and experience? What attracts me to any project is the story. At present, the world is in such a divisive state, I felt a story about putting political differences aside and uniting behind a larger, common goal was a story worth tell- ing. I am interested in history and find Malta's history fascinating. On a per- sonal level, I am a Scottish writer, so a story about long-fought struggles for Independence really resonates, and is something I find easy to emotionally connect with. From a creative per- spective the theatre I enjoy watching, and try to make, is theatre that feels essential, is of its time and presented in a way that is unique. This project is definitely an example of that. The process is hugely collaborative, led by music duo The New Victorians and featuring an International cast and Zfin Malta contemporary danc- ers. So, it has been possible to create something that feels truly original. Something that can only be created by these people, at this time, for this audience. In my previous work I have sought innovative collaborations that provide the opportunity to blend ar- tistic disciplines in an unlikely way. In my experience this creative colli- sion presents a theatrical challenge that results in the most creative out- come. Sette Giugno is, of course, a key event in Maltese history; one that's loaded with post-colonial dynamics. What was your entry point into this complex subject, and how did you first start building on it as a dramatic piece? Understanding Sette Giugno and the events leading up to that fateful day was a huge research task. Im- mersing myself in the history of the period, I was initially overwhelmed by the complexities of the political landscape at the time. However, as I came to understand it, I realised that the complexity, the differing perspec- tives and the contradictions within the accounts of the events is the dra- ma itself. I didn't want to simplify the story, I wanted to reflect its complex- ity, present the events from multiple perspectives and allow the audience space to draw their own conclusions. Working with The New Victorians, we studied the key moments and sources of tension leading up to the events. We then looked at the events themselves, the aftermath and how this relates to where we now find ourselves. The conflict, and so the drama, is already in the story. For us the challenge was in deciding which parts to feature. The story is histori- cal and political by design, my prior- ity was finding the human one, en- suring the audience can emotionally connect to the work. In order to write characters, you have to find a way of understanding Teodor Reljic Confronting the Coloniser "Immersing myself in the history of the period, I was initially overwhelmed by the complexities of the political landscape at the time" Erin Carter