Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1478813
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 11 SEPTEMBER 2022 10 ALMANAC My essentials JEAN-MARC CAFA` 35. Freelance director and arts educator Aside from directing theatre pieces, I've fallen in love with the role of theatre in developing youth and the community. In 2013, I set up Studio 18 to provide young people with a platform for theatre training as well as a body of works relevant to their realities. When not in a studio or developing learning programmes, I can be found eating cheese, at the cinema, or by the sea! 1 4 5 1. Book 2. Film/TV 3. Internet 4. Music 5. Place I don't really watch TV – I haven't had a TV license in about ten years I believe… I've no clue what channel I would even prefer to be hon- est! I've recently also gone off Netflix series and the likes… but I do like my TED talks and NT Live at home, and I am also up for good series that is of the 'psychological thriller' nature. One series that comes to mind that struck a chord recently is Mare of Easttown; Kate Win- slet's performance here is a force to be reckoned with. MIKA and Michael Jackson are my all-time guilty pleasures – they present an element of the- atricality. However, my idol in this respect would be Stephen Sondheim. Having grown up as a hardcore musical theatre fan, I discovered Sondheim in my early teens and spent hours exploring his music and lyrics. His works are a playground for an actor and a director. From time to time, I revisit various works; lately, I have returned to 'Company'. ITALY – the little villages on the coast. The lifestyle is great, the coffee is great, the food is great and the wine is great... what is there not to like? And I can get to Florence and Rome quite easily, which is always a plus. I feel balance when I'm on Italian turf; I collect my thoughts, do a lot of walking and reading. There is no deny- ing I am a child of the Mediter- ranean. I would love to retire there or spend my summers there at the very least. I am currently fixated on lead- ership-management models and how they translate in the theatre and arts education realms. I've spent a consider- able amount of time distilling the needs of the local theatre scene and theatre training (my postgraduate disserta- tion explored a development framework for Maltese arts education leaders). This ex- plains my current bedside lit- erature: 'Everyone Deserves a Great Manager: The 6 Critical Practices for Leading a Team', 'Management of Organisa- tional Behaviour', and then a dose of director 'Ivo Van Hove on Stage' for good measure. MY relationship with film is complex, as it tends to many of my needs. I watch movies at the cinema often. Aside from the sea, it is the one place I truly switch off. On the other hand, there are a number of 80s and 90s science fiction and animated movies (and Harry Potter, of course) that I return to often; they energise me and remind me to find the child within. I also use film and TV series for research when work- ing on theatre pieces, therefore I go where the themes take me. In general, I am a Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson fan. 3 2