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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 21 NOVEMBER 2021 6 THEATRE Joseph Zammit reveals what it's like to step into the shoes of Manwel Dimech Professional actor, tenor and history graduate Joseph Zammit talks to MaltaToday ahead of his performance in the upcoming play 'Il-Qfil u l-Ħelsien Skont Manwel Dimech' You are playing the role of Manwel Dimech, one of Malta's first radicals and a voice that inspired the road to national independence. How do you feel stepping into his shoes? The shoes in question are quite the big ones to fill, so there is an added pressure, to- gether with the performance itself, to do the man and his life justice. I feel that this is a very important piece of work to de- liver through to an audience, even now, a hundred years on from the man's passing. Every- one on this island knows the name Manwel Dimech, but hardly any even know what the man stood and fought for. This has often led to several people in power throughout the years to use Dimech's im- age to their advantage. His sto- ry and his work must be spread to as many eyes and ears and minds as possible. Dimech was entirely at a his- torical crossroads: personally, he transitioned from prison inmate to a self-taught intellec- tual and newspaper publisher; historically he was an observer of Malta's divisive language question, the effects of which can sometimes be felt to this day. As an actor, do you think engaging with your subject's personal history is essential to play the role? Apart from being an actor I am also a graduate with a BA(Hons.) in History so yes, in my opinion the historical con- text is absolutely crucial. I have studied the man personally and wrote many an assignment on various social elements of the time period in question. One would not be able to fully ap- preciate Dimech, and therefore deliver a worthwhile perfor- mance, if one does not under- stand the context and back- ground of the times. Audiences are in for a treat with a walkthrough musical performance at the old prison. How does this kind of theatre work in contrast to the stage? The audience would definite- ly leave with a more engaging and personal experience than having to sit down amongst others in the audience and watching ahead. The format of a walkthrough, especially when it is situated in a genuine Brit- ish military prison, adds an in- credible amount of immersion for the audience that would be very difficult to achieve on stage. The audience will be closer to the stories happen- ing in front of them and would be able to walk together with them as they journey through different phases of the charac- ters' lives. Like Dimech, Maltese history is replete with so many unsung and important personages. Do you see theatre as key in bringing audiences closer to el- ements of national conscious- ness, or historical events? Theatre is as key to deliver an effect as any other medium would be, whether it be books or video and film. Difference being, in my opinion, that the- atre is more engaging to the audience present. They would get a clearer idea of the pain and hardships he had to endure than from simply reading it on a page, the progress of his life would be much more hard-hit- ting than they would be if sim- ply viewed on a screen. When it comes to Manwel Di- mech then I would argue that these elements are even more crucial. Il-Qfil u l-Ħelsien Skont Man- wel Dimech will run from 26 December to 13 December at the Kordin Old Military Pris- on. More information can be accessed here: https://teatru- malta.org.mt/events/il-qfil-u-l- helsien-skont-manwel-dimech/ Photo: by Lindsey Bahia Photo by Lindsey Bahia