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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 OCTOBER 2022 7 THEATRE ACTRESS Moira Muscat who plays the formidable Sor Tarċis- ja in Immanuel Mifsud's free adaptation of Ġuze Diacono's one act play L-GĦARUSA at the haunting Armoury in Birgu tells all about her experience, her character and why you should be watching l-Għarusa this Halloween season. How has this production differed to other theatre pro- ductions you've worked on in the past? Every production comes with its own unique experience. In this case, the venue where the play is being held isn't a conven- tional theatre. This initiated an element of discovery especially since the premises was quite neglected when we first walked into the place. But it wasn't just the venue. Having worked in the theatre for quite a number of years, I had the privilege to work with different companies where I was familiar with the director, cast members and crew. In this case, it was the first time I'd worked with Immanuel Mifsud and the rest of the wonderful young cast and crew. A very positive experience which I hope won't be the last. Tell us about your character and what it took for you to gradually evolve into Sor Tarcisja. Contrary to the other nuns, we are given no clear motive as to why Sor Tarċisja entered the convent. It could have been a genuine vocation or because of something which happened to her earlier in life which she was making up for; a sort of subli- mation. Whatever the reason, by the time we meet her in the play she comes across as a strong, au- thoritative woman who recruits young girls and teaches them to accept the convent life for the glory of God. And this, while she herself is struggling with her own demons. These were the intricate aspects that I had to keep in mind while putting together Sor Tarċisja's charac- ter. Tell us about what it was like to work in a unique venue like the Knight's Armoury and what you feel it gave the production and your process as an actress... The Armoury is definitely an evocative Baroque build- ing, with an imposing staircase leading to a hall with a vaulted ceiling. The Armoury was bril- liantly transformed into a mon- astery by Austin Camilleri – no small feat considering it's state initially. We had the rare opportunity to start working at the Armoury when we'd reached mid-pro- duction, so the transformation of the Armory into a 'monas- tery' was a gradual process run- ning parallel with our ongoing growth of the interpretation of the script and our correspond- ing characterization of the roles. Rarely have I come across a set which helped the whole pro- duction team to immerse itself so completely into the atmos- phere invoked by the script. How would you describe this work to audiences? I would advise the audience to come to the play with an open mind, going beyond the usu- al stereotyping we attribute to nuns in a monastery. Like with Sor Tarċija, all characters have to come to terms with the prob- lems that they are bound to encounter while living in their small, closed world, no mat- ter the reasons why they en- tered the monastery in the first place. l-Għarusa is a powerful thought-provoking play. A full appreciation of the play calls for strong empathy with the human condition since the self- doubts, frustrations and misery explored in the play can happen in many of the settings all of us go through in life. "L-Għarusa", a free adaptation of Ġużè Diacono's original by Immanuel Mifsud is produced by Teatru Malta in co-produc- tion with Heritage Malta and supported by Fondazzjoni Ċel- ebrazzjonijiet Nazzjonali and Arts Council Malta. This produc- tion will run until the 31st of October 2022 at the Armoury in Birgu. For tickets or more infor- mation please visit www.teatru- malta.org Moira Muscat takes us inside Immanuel Mifsud's adaptation of Ġuze Diacono's L-GĦARUSA