Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1272935
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 JULY 2020 4 THIS WEEK THEATRE TEODOR RELJIC speaks to prolific London-based actress and theatre-maker Marta Vella ahead of her taking up the mantle of the new festival director for the massively popular ŻiguŻajg Festival, an annual fixture of the local cultural calendarr, focusing on high-quality performing arts experiences geared towards children and young adults We can't afford to be antiquated First of all, how did it feel to be appoint- ed director of this very prominent fes- tival on the Maltese cultural calendar? What has your relationship with it been like so far, and how do you hope to contribute to its ongoing history? I'm thrilled to have been appointed festival director for ŻiguŻajg. I've per- formed, directed and written for sever- al editions of the festival so I have first hand experience of the festival from the 'inside'. I have a great fondness for the festival, for me, it has always been a highlight of the cultural calendar. How would you describe the range of your experience in theatre? And crucially, being based in the UK, what would you say are some of the key differences in which both countries approach the craft and culture of the theatrical sphere? It's very hard to put a label on an art- ist's experience: how do you even meas- ure range? What I can say is that hav- ing trained and lived in London for the last five years, I've been very fortunate to have been exposed to some stunning work which wouldn't be as accessible in Malta; that's for sure. That is one of the main things that stands out – accessi- bility – on several levels. Venues, ticket subsidies, sign language performances, audio description… there's a LOT of work to be done here. What kind of contribution would you say the ŻiguŻajg festival has given to the Maltese cultural scene in general? How have you seen it evolve over the years, and how do you hope to evolve alongside it? ŻiguŻajg has exposed children and audiences to excellent international work. It has given artists support and a platform to push themselves and blossom. It became a staple in Malta's cultural calendar and a very success- ful children's festival in its own right. Each year, the festival has reached wid- er audiences and set higher standards. I want to keep pushing the envelope, commission work that is relevant and bring more of the magic only Żigużajg can bring to children and their families. How does it feel to be jumping into the fray during the covid year? What are some of the more innovative ways in which you hope to be able to address this crisis through the festival itself? Well, let's just say that I have my work cut out for me. What happened this year has changed the world as we know it. It's no secret that our industry is one of the worst hit and that it'll be one of the last industries to recover. In terms of the festival when you're thinking of du- bious travel arrangements, uncertainty in schools reopening, intimate venues, work that involves contact and our au- diences being children and their fam- ilies... we were certainly hit from each direction. Festival coordinator Andre Mangion and myself had to go back to the drawing board and rebuild a vision from the ground up. I have to say, how- ever, that at no point did we think of cancelling or postponing. While I can- not divulge too much on the program yet, we're certainly keeping innovation at the core of it all. What do you make of the local theat- rical scene? What would you change about it? I always say that given our resources, the fact that there's no professional in- dustry or real money in theatre; the fact that we have a scene at all, is astound- ing. There's so much heart and commit- ment from local artists, that in itself is very inspirational. What I would change would definitely be not to play it so safe, to dare more. I question many programming choic- es that I see repeated year after year. We have so much to say, so much to be raging about: we're Maltese for good- ness sake! It saddens me to see some dull, antiquated choices when firstly Cooke and the Art of Bullying (2014) Marta Vella "I want to keep pushing the envelope, commission work that is relevant and bring more of the magic only Żigużajg can bring to children and their families"