Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546283
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 23 AUGUST 2026 Malta's talent deserves an international stage Malcolm Paul Agius Galea Minister for Arts, Culture and National Heritage For a small country, internation- alisation is not simply an added opportunity for our cultural and creative sectors. It is essential to their growth. Malta has no shortage of talent, ambition or creativity. What we must continue building are the pathways that allow our artists and cultural practitioners to take that talent beyond our shores, connect with international pro- fessionals and audiences, and develop sustainable careers that are not constrained by the size of our domestic market. Over the past days, we have seen a very tangible example of this ambition becoming reality. Maltese performing arts practi- tioners have been in Edinburgh, where they presented their pro- jects to international industry professionals during a dedicated pitching event at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – one of the most significant international environ- ments for the performing arts. Their presence there repre- sents much more than participa- tion in an event. It is the result of months of preparation, mentor- ing, professional development and, importantly, investment in people. Building careers, not simply funding projects When we speak about public investment in culture, the con- versation can too easily become focused exclusively on funding individual projects or produc- tions. Funding remains essential. But if we want a stronger and more sustainable cultural and creative sector, our investment must go further. We must invest in the people behind those projects: in their skills, professional capacity, net- works, confidence and ability to transform creative ideas into viable productions capable of reaching new audiences. This is precisely what Arts Council Malta's professional development programme has sought to achieve. The initiative originally attract- ed 30 applications, with 20 pro- gressing following evaluation and 19 projects subsequently entering a mentoring process incorporating workshops, mas- terclasses, peer exchange and professional training focused on international touring. Edinburgh therefore repre- sents a milestone rather than a starting point. Before standing in front of in- ternational professionals to pitch their work, participants had al- ready undertaken months of preparation. In Edinburgh, they could put that learning into prac- tice while engaging directly with producers and other profession- als working across the interna- tional performing arts sector. This is the type of exposure that can make a genuine difference to an artist's career. From a Maltese stage to an international audience Taking a production abroad in- volves considerably more than producing excellent artistic work. Artists must understand how to present and position their projects, develop realistic budg- ets, consider the practicalities of touring, build professional rela- tionships and understand what international producers and pro- grammers are seeking. These may appear to be techni- cal considerations, but they can ultimately determine whether an excellent production remains within our shores or finds its way onto stages elsewhere. That is why professional devel- opment must remain an impor- tant component of our cultural policy. It was also particularly encour- aging that, while in Edinburgh, participants could witness Mal- tese work already reaching inter- national audiences through The Trials of Magnus Coffinkey. There is something powerful about Maltese practitioners pre- paring to take their own work in- ternationally while seeing anoth- er Maltese production already performing within that same in- ternational environment. It demonstrates what is possi- ble. Malta's size should never limit our ambition As Minister responsible for Arts and Culture, one principle I strongly believe in is that Malta's geographical size should never determine the reach of its art- ists. We cannot change the size of our domestic market. What we can do is ensure that our artists are increasingly equipped to access opportunities beyond it. Internationalisation therefore needs to become part of the natural development of artis- tic careers in Malta rather than something regarded as excep- tional. This requires sustained in- vestment. It means strengthening pro- fessional capacity, facilitating mobility, developing interna- tional networks and ensuring that Maltese practitioners have opportunities to meet, learn from and collaborate with their counterparts overseas. It also means creating an environment in which an emerging artist in Malta can realistically aspire not only to produce work locally, but to see that work tour internation- ally. Our responsibility as Gov- ernment is not to determine where an artist's creativity should take them. It is to help remove barriers and create the conditions in which talent can flourish. Investing in Malta through culture There is also a wider national dimension to this work. Every Maltese production presented internationally car- ries something of our country with it. Every professional rela- tionship established overseas expands Malta's cultural net- work. Every artist who gains in- ternational experience brings new knowledge, perspectives and connections back into our creative community. Internationalisation therefore benefits not only the individu- al artist. It strengthens our cultural ecosystem as a whole and con- tributes to Malta's reputation as a creative, contemporary and culturally ambitious coun- try. The true success of the Edin- burgh experience will conse- quently not be measured sole- ly by what happened during these few days. It will be measured by what comes next: the conversations that develop into partnerships, the pitches that become pro- ductions, the professional re- lationships that continue, and ultimately the Maltese works that find their way onto inter- national stages. That is the long-term objec- tive behind our investment. We want Maltese artists to have the confidence to think internationally from the be- ginning of their careers. We want them to have access to the professional tools and net- works required to turn ambi- tion into opportunity. And we want international audiences to increasingly experience the quality and diversity of work being created in Malta. We already know that our country possesses remarkable creative talent. Our task now is to ensure that talent is given every opportu- nity to travel. Because while Malta may be small, there should be no lim- it to how far Maltese creativity can reach. THIS IS A PAID COLLABORATION