Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546491
3 THEATRE maltatoday | SUNDAY • 6 SEPTEMBER 2026 Audition call for Maltese adaptation by Simone Spiteri, directed by Bettina Paris A new Maltese-language pro- duction of VINCENT RIVER, a powerful and uncompromising play by Philip Ridley (MERCU- RY FUR and TENDER NA- PALM) will be staged at Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta, in October 2027. We are looking for two ex- ceptional actors for this intense two-hander: ANITA (playing age 40s – 50s) • A woman. Tough, sharp, defensive and darkly fun- ny. Beneath the armour lies a mother struggling with grief, anger and the devastating circumstanc- es surrounding her son's death. DAVEY (actors 18+. Playing age 18 to 20) • A young man. Restless, volatile and vulnerable. He arrives at Anita's door car- rying secrets of his own — and an urgent need to tell her what he knows. Set in the aftermath of a brutal homophobic murder, VIN- CENT RIVER brings together two strangers whose lives have been shattered by the same death. What begins as suspi- cion and confrontation grad- ually becomes a raw, intimate reckoning with grief, sexuality, shame, prejudice and truth. Ridley's play is emotionally de- manding and requires perform- ers capable of handling highly charged material. AUDITIONS All interested Auditionees must send an email to ADRIAN BUCKLE at unifauntheatre@ gmail.com, requesting access to the required audition pack. Phase One: submission of self tape or Video Recording to reach us by 2nd October 2026 noon. Phase Two: Chosen Audition- ees recalls to attend in-person auditions on Sunday, 18th Octo- ber. If auditionees submit a self tape, they must make sure they will be available in case of a re- call. Audition material and fur- ther details will be provided to selected applicants. Applicants should have a strong command of spoken Maltese and be available for rehearsals leading up to the October 2027 (September through to October) performances at Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta. This project is supported by Arts Council Malta and MGRM. The Maids opens this October with post-show discussion led by director, and interest groups A new staging of Jean Genet's The Maids opens on 2 October for six performances at Theatre Next Door – with a post-show discussion for one night only, led by its award-winning di- rector Scott Le Crass and rep- resentatives of the Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM) and LGBTI+ Gozo. Co-produced by Adrian Buck- le and Victor De Bono, the pro- duction marks the first time Martin Crimp's translation, first staged at London's Young Vic in 1999, will be performed in Malta. Unlike many other in- ternational productions of The Maids that typically feature an all-female cast, the upcoming performance run stars three of Malta's finest male performers: Malcolm Galea, Anton Saliba and Victor De Bono. The unusual casting decision by British theatre director Scott Le Crass offers a fresh interpre- tation of the play's sexual dy- namics and queer politics – a topic opened for further discus- sion following the performance on 4 October. "Genet wrote The Maids as a study of power and its abus- es, and those questions hav- en't dated at all," says Scott Le Crass. "It's a demanding piece for performers and audiences alike, and I think Malta is ready for it." True crime inspired Jean Gen- et to pen his claustrophobic psychological drama The Maids in 1947. Fascinated by the dou- ble-murder of a mother and daughter in Le Mans in 1933 by their live-in maids, Genet wrote of two servants acting out elab- orate fantasies in which they imitate – and kill – their mis- tress. Fantasy soon blurs with reality, and cruelty replaces any tenderness they once held for their employer. The play has since become one of Genet's most frequent- ly revived works, staged across France, the UK and the US – and performance runs continue internationally. A version di- rected by Kip Williams recent- ly transferred from London's Donmar Warehouse to St Ann's Warehouse in New York, fol- lowing another staging at Jer- myn Street Theatre in 2025. Known for his award-winning classic play revivals, solo shows such as Rose starring Mau- reen Lipman, and his focus on powerful, often working-class or queer-themed stories, Scott Le Crass leads a formidable creative team for The Maids. Chakib Zidi is movement direc- tor, complementing set design by Romualdo Moretti, costume design by Nicole Cuschieri, lighting design by Christopher Gatt and sound design by Al- bert Garzia. Adrian Buckle and Victor De Bono's production of The Maids by Jean Genet performs at The- atre Next Door, Magħtab, on 2, 3, 9 and 10 October at 8pm and on 4, 11 October at 7pm. The production is supported by Arts Council Malta, Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM), LG- BTQ+ Gozo, Aġenzija Żgħażagħ and the French Embassy in Mal- ta. This production is suitable for audiences aged 16 and over. Tickets available at www.adri- anbuckle.com. Jean Genet's The Maids, at Theatre Next Door from 2-11 October, includes a post-show discussion on queer politics on 4 October Left to right: Anton Saliba Malcolm Galea and Victor Debono (Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi)