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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 APRIL 2023 4 THEATRE Għanqbut f 'Moħħha: an immersive experience LAURA CALLEJA speaks to director Tyrone Grima on his latest production, Għanqbut f 'Moħħha, based on American- British author Henry James short story 'The way it came' taking place at the Valletta Campus Theatre from 14 to 16 April What can the audience expect from the production; what do you think will surprise them the most? Għanqbut f'Moħħha is a play which focuses on the supernat- ural. The setting is an antique shop, which the protagonist, Is- abel (Sharon Bezzina), reopens, despite the fact that it had been shut down years before due to a mysterious tragedy that oc- curred in the back room of the shop, which involved her own parents. As the story unfolds, we realise that in a mysteri- ous manner, the whole village community is affected by the supernatural happenings in the shop, particularly the two most important people in Isabel's life, her best friend Milly (Sarah Lee Zammit) and her husband- to-be, Ralph (André Mangion). The storyline, however, plays on whether all this is really hap- pening, or whether they are the fruit of the compulsive thoughts that Isabel has. The audience will be offered an immersive experience. The atmosphere required in the play will be cre- ated through a multisensorial approach using sounds, music, silence, physical expression and smells. This approach intrigues me and I have been experiment- ing with it for the last few years. This production will be an op- portunity to take it a step fur- ther. What made you realise the works of Henry James would connect with a Maltese audi- ence? The choice of the right text for this project was not easy. Sha- ron, who is also co-producing with me, and I, went through several scripts and texts. As soon as we read the shorty story by Henry James, 'The way it came' (also known as 'The friends of friends') we were intrigued by it, even though it is one of James's less famous works. Of course, in the process, we took liberties and we did contextualise the setting (although our version is not necessarily taking place in Malta). James offers a context which is enshrouded in mystery. His work is deeply psycholog- ical, and yet he does not try to explain everything. Somehow, despite the fact that his works are clearly rooted in a specific geographical and cul- tural setting, he creates a uni- verse which transcends time and hits at the core of what it is to be human with all the fears that we face. Hence, his story is just as much a narrative that explores the fear of the supernatural as much as the fear of intimacy. The interest in the supernatu- ral is something that has always featured in Maltese folklore, and of course, with the recent surge of the popularity of the horror genre with the younger genera- tion, we can safely say that the Maltese audience enjoys to be that feeling of unease. But more importantly to us is the relevance of the piece to the Maltese audience. Research shows clearly that fear of inti- macy has increased locally (as well as internationally). It is a real fear that sabotages our most meaningful relationships. The supernatural in our piece is a metaphor: the real fear is our deep desire to connect and yet our paralysis that does not allows us to do so. And that is certainly more horrific. What challenges did you face while directing this produc- tion? Directing a devised perfor- mance is a challenge. It is trust- ing that the different contri- butions coming from all the creatives will eventually gel to- gether. It feels like a jigsaw puz- zle where you have all the pieces spread out on the floor initially, and cannot fathom how these