Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1137604
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 JUNE 2019 5 THIS WEEK THEATRE female pope Christine Scerri – we managed through long sessions of discus- sion. Meanwhile, Michela Man- duca and Noel Agius worked like hell on getting about 35 costumes done in time and Karen Schembri Grima, who I love working with in both film and theatre, will do her medi- eval magic in make-up design. We're all just very excited to watch everything come to life in just a few days. How would you describe the assembled cast of the play? How have they been taking to their roles? I am more than happy to work with great actors, most of them known to the Maltese audienc- es. First of all, Maria Buckle as Pope Joan herself: she is a star to me and I love watching her on stage. I had directed her in Tat- too by Dea Loher several years back, a play about sexual abuse in the family... she played the very difficult female lead role and I loved her mixture of sen- sitivity and strength. Besides, Maria is a very quick thinker, a trait she shares with the titular character. I had worked in past produc- tions on stage with Alan Paris, Chris Galea, Mikhail Basmad- jian, Peter Galea, Faye Paris... wonderful actors with plenty of talent and nuance who re- ally need no introduction. An- tonella Axisa, Joe Despasquale, Michael Mangion, Alex Weenik and Stephen Mintoff are the ac- tors who were new to me – not to the Maltese audience though! – and it has been a big pleasure to work with them. And I defi- nitely would like to mention our youth actors, Ileana Cutajar, who plays a very modern young Joan, eager to learn and curious about life, Miguel Azzopardi, playing her brother John and Julian Zammit, playing the son of a Roman noble family. These are all up-and-coming talents, and at this point I would like to thank the Masquerade School for the Performing Arts for giv- ing such valuable training to these youngsters. Also important to the produc- tion is the choir Cappella Sanc- tae Catharinae, directed by Alex Vella Gergory. Alex is an amaz- ing musician who works equally strong on artistic instinct and great theoretical knowledge. And those voices... chapeau! How important is it for you that the play is being produced under the auspices of both Teatru Malta and the Malta International Arts Festival? How do you feel both entities contribute to the cultural scene in general, and the theatrical scene in particular? I think Teatru Malta have changed the situation in theatre in Malta altogether. I remember when I first came to Malta hav- ing discussions with other Mal- tese producers about the fact that there is no national theatre, in the sense of a team working full-time on doing theatre. Of course, I was used to the Ger- man system, which is very, very different, with many highly subsidised city theatres all over the country. But the Maltese producer-colleagues explained to me the tradition of private theatre companies, and that with only one national theatre team it would only be a few ac- tors who would benefit, which would cause a lot of damage to the existing companies. But with Teatru Malta, the 'national theatre without walls' there is actually a system which supports existing companies and their work, and at the same time helps newcomers holisti- cally, which in my opinion is a great innovation. I am seeing a very strong team there, led by Sean Buhagiar, who are very cooperative and pro-actively engaged with each and every production they take under their wing. The Malta Inter- national Arts Festival has been a household name for many years now, and its new artistic director Ruben Zahra will cer- tainly give it a fresh, modern touch. Finally... can we look forward to seeing you on the Maltese stage sometime soon after Pope Joan? Yes! I will be acting at the beautiful Manoel Theatre, in a long-awaited production of a classic play set to premiere this October. More will be revealed very soon. I'm certainly looking forward to it! Pope Joan will be performed at the Mdina Ditch from July 9 to July 12 (no show on July 8). All shows will begin at 9pm. The production is organised with the support of Festivals Malta, The Malta International Arts Festival, Arts Council Malta under the auspices of the Minis- try of Justice Culture and Local Government, the Restoration Directorate Rehabilitation Pro- ject, Goethe Institute, US Em- bassy and The German Maltese Circle. The play is rated 13+. Bookings: kultura.mt Irene Christ (left) rehearsing for Pope Joan with an ensemble cast of seasoned Maltese talent Photography By Darrin Zammit Lupi "The play is a little reminder that our past of suppressing women in society through religion isn't all that remote after all"