Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1419860
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 OCTOBER 2021 6 THEATRE TEATRU Malta's artistic di- rector Sean Buhagiar, Minister for the National Heritage, Lo- cal Government and Culture Minister Dr Jose Herrera and Arts Council Malta's Executive Chair Albert Marshall launched Teatru Malta's new season pro- gramme at the Friggieri Hall in- side the Valletta Design Cluster earlier today. Albert Marshall said ''The dynamic and resilience of Tea- tru Malta have shone through throughout the past few months of the pandemic dur- ing which Teatru Malta made sure to continue developing future projects for the years to come.'' The Autumn/Winter Pro- gramme of Events, their first since 2020, featuring original art work by Collage Artist Fabio D'Amato, is now available for free from all Agenda Book- shop, WHSmith and 8tillLate outlets across Malta and Gozo. The programme highlights the work that the national theatre company have focused on de- veloping over the course of the pandemic. "We're glad to be back to be- ing the national theatre com- pany for our audiences, by pre- senting a programme that can only exist here in Malta whilst collaborating with some of the world's biggest theatre names," said Buhagiar. A variety of events feature in the colourful programme that opens with the dance theatre performance "O". Dedicated to the late Oliver Friggieri a year on from his death. "O" is directed by Buhagiar, chore- ographed by Cheryl Lofreda and performed by the MVMT, Jamie Cardona and Clare Ton- na with original music by Chris Vella. The devised work will take place at Teatru Manoel following their recent restora- tion projects. Tickets for the event are now available online with the show premiering on the 29th of October to a limit- ed audience capacity. This is a programme that truly caters to audiences of all ages. The endearing children's opera Il-Qtates ta' max-Xatt has been adapted as a pup- pet theatre performance by the puppeteer Sean Briffa and performers Jeremy Grech and Clare Ghigo. The show is avail- able for schools across the is- land and will take place at the Esplora Planetarium. During the launch, Minister Herrera notably announced that the Ministry will be pre- senting a legal notice establish- ing Teatru Malta as a stand- alone agency, serving as the national theatre company of Malta. This legal notice will be launched in collaboration with Arts Council Malta. "As a government, we are committed to further strength- ening the cultural sector so that we continue to offer more accessibility to our communi- ty. Thanks to the programme that we are launching today for the Autumn/Winter sched- ule, Teatru Malta is offering a wide selection of productions that deal with interesting and relevant topics, so that we may continue to increase the attendance of new audienc- es; audiences which might not be familiar with theatre," said Minister Jose Herrera. He went on to say that there are many ongoing collaborations with- cultural entities aimed at deliv- ering this varied programme, as well as collaboration with other relevant Ministries and organisations, in order to fur- ther increase innovation with- in the sector. Teatru Malta will also be working on a five-year strategy in consultation with its associate artists Paul Portel- li, Lee-n Abela, Jimmy Grima, Marta Vella, Simon Bartolo and Simone Spiteri. The strat- egy will be presented for public consultation in due course. One of the most stimulating projects currently in the works for Teatru Malta is the Europe- an Theatre Convention (ETC) conference which Teatru Mal- ta will be hosting this Octo- ber with the support of Arts Council Malta, Teatru Manoel and Spazju Kreattiv. The con- ference programme will also include a curated showcase by local artists, including touring production Nassaba: Song of a Bird by Jimmy Grima, which will also be open to the public, and will be taking place on the 30th of October at the Catho- lic Institute of Floriana. Other stand-out productions include Il-Qfil u l-Ħelsien Skont Man- wel Dimech, a site-specific mu- sic theatre performance with a story by Victor Jacono and Kris Spiteri, premiering this November at the Old Prisons in Kordin and the biographical play Drago, written by André Mangion and inspired by the life of legendary professional snooker and pool player Tony Drago. Teatru Malta's wardrobe is now also available for online viewing, which means that you can now view highlights from their extensive costume cata- logue. All these costumes are al- so available for rent. Teatru Malta's recently launched lim- ited edition merchandise in collaboration with Souvenirs That Don't Suck has also been launched online, with all items available for purchase through Teatru Malta's website. For more information on Teatru Malta's latest pro- gramme of events, please visit www.teatrumalta.org.mt or follow them on their Facebook and Instagram pages. Teatru Malta are back this autumn/winter