Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1520629
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 MAY 2024 2 THEATRE A chaotic exploration of emotions and civility brought to the stage in Teatru Manoel's God of Carnage WHAT happens when we, as adults, decide to let our guards down and drop the facade of ci- vility? What would it look like if we let our emotions rule the order of the day? Yasmina Reza's Tony and Olivier award-winning play God of Carnage explores just that. This June, in a new production by Teatru Manoel directed by André Agius, God of Carnage explores how quickly we can all revert to a child-like state of anger and impatience. In an ever-shifting game of predator and prey, God of Car- nage is a deceptively simple play. Superficially, it centres on two adult couples who meet to dis- cuss a violent incident that oc- cured between their two young sons. But as the evening pro- gresses, any hope of a civil dis- cussion melts away as tensions rise and the adults become in- creasingly petty, sensitive, and childish. The meeting quickly becomes astonishingly chaotic, erupting into a night rife with name-calling, tantrums, jeal- ousy, and tears. As adults, we are constantly reading the room and polishing our words, and Reza's socio-political satire explores what happens when we let down our guard and drop the filter we are so used to maintaining. Directing this Teatru Manoel production is André Agius, a Maltese director and thea- tre-maker who is based in Edin- burgh, Scotland. God of Carnage will be André's directorial debut at Teatru Manoel and will be his first production in Malta since graduating with an MFA in Di- recting from Edinbrigh Napier University. "I am very excited to be working in Malta on this play," he said "it really feels like the right one to kick things off with. To me, God of Carnage feels a bit like a train ride: once it starts, you can't get off, trav- elling at a breakneck speed to- wards some inevitable end. And in God of Carnage, maybe that end is a bit of a trainwreck." God of Carnage features Chris Dingli, Chiara Hyzler, Charlotte Grech, and Pierre Stafrace; a stellar cast that will bring Reza's edgy wit to the stage with skill and passion under Agius's mind- ful eye. Alongside these actors, Agius has gathered a powerful crew to assist him in this the- atrical venture, including some younger creatives in an attempt to bring some new blood to the local theatre scene. Emma Mi- callef will be working alongside Agius as the Associate Director and Zsófi Kelemen as the As- sistant Director. Julia Camill- eri will be stage managing the production and Mikaela Vella designing the costumes. Addi- tionally, Adrian Mamo will be desiging the set to bring the in- ternal world of God of Carnage to life on the Teatru Manoel stage. God of Carnage will take place at Teatru Manoel in Valletta from the 6th to the 9th of June 2024, starting at 8 pm and run- ning for approximately 90 min- utes. This performance comes with an age appropriation of 14+ due to strong language. For more information and to book your tickets, visit https:// teatrumanoel.mt/event/god- of-carnage/ or call the Teatru Manoel Box Office at (+356) 21246389