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3 CULTURE maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 NOVEMBER 2026 MADC's Peter Pan flies into Teatru Manoel this Christmas The panto performs at the national theatre between 22 December and 5 January – and is one of two pantos MADC is staging in different venues this festive season CHRISTMAS in Malta means panto – and this year the trip to Teatru Manoel goes by way of Neverland. MADC's Peter Pan opens in Valletta on 22 December and runs until 5 January, with 20 matinee and evening performances to choose from. Written by Chiara Hyzler and directed by Stephen Oliver, the show follows Wendy and her brothers as they fly to Neverland with Peter Pan. There, they team up with a larger-than-life Dame to take on Captain Hook and his hopeless crew of pirates. In keeping with panto tradition, the script is packed with songs from across the decades and plenty of panto silliness for younger audiences, while the yearly dose of political satire is aimed squarely at the grown-ups. Jean Pierre Busuttil returns as the Dame, with Francesco Nicodeme as Captain Hook and David Ellul as Peter Pan. They are joined in the brilliant cast by Melissa Mercieca, Carla Fenech, Karl Bartolo and Sam Casha, while the production intro- duces Jack Camilleri, Robert Marshall Ad- ams and Luca Troia. A talented support- ing ensemble completes the company. Meanwhile, MADC's creative team once again creates the panto magic on stage. Kris Spiteri directs the music, with cho- reography by Francesco Nicodeme, cos- tumes designed by Nicole Cuschieri, sets by Fraser Lappin and singing led by Maria Eleonora Zammit. For many families, an afternoon or evening at the panto is as much a part of Christmas as the tree. As Malta's long- est-running theatre company, MADC has a long history of staging spectacular festive pantomimes – and this year, the company is giving families twice the choice. For the first time ever, the performance run of Pe- ter Pan at Teatru Manoel will run in par- allel with MADC's annual pantomime at Teatru Salesjan, Hercules. "Panto is the one show of the year that brings the whole family to the theatre to- gether, and for many children it is their first visit to one," says director Stephen Oliver. "Peter Pan has pirates, a Dame and a story every generation knows, so it gives us everything we need for a proper Christmas outing – book early, bring the grandparents and come ready to boo the pirates!" MADC's Peter Pan pantomime performs at Teatru Manoel, Valletta, from 22 De- cember 2026 to 5 January 2027, with mat- inee and evening performances available. This production is suitable for audiences aged three and over, and is supported by Dee Spas Wellness, Elia Caterers, Brown's and La Maison Française. Booking is open at madc.com.mt or teatrumanoel.mt. MADC's Peter Pan (Photo: Justin Mamo) Rosa Martínez returns as artistic director for the Malta Biennale 2028 FOLLOWING an international call for applications which received appli- cations from over 110 curators from 48 different countries, the Malta Bi- ennale Foundation has announced the selection of Rosa Martínez as Artistic Director for the third edition of the Biennale. This marks the second time the renowned curator will serve in this role, following her tenure for the lauded Malta Biennale 2026. Once again, Rosa Martínez brings with her years of curatorial and artistic expertise. In 2005, she served as the Ar- tistic Director of the Venice Biennale — the first female curator in the history of that event with the exhibition 'Always a Little Further' at the Arsenale. Rosa Martínez has also served as Ar- tistic Director and Curator for biennales in Barcelona (1988– 1992), Rotterdam (1996), Istanbul (1997), Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA (1999), Busan, South Ko- rea (2000), São Paulo (2006), and Mos- cow (2005–2007). She also served as Chief Curator at the Istanbul Museum of Modern Art between 2004 and 2007, and has organized a number of signif- icant exhibitions for institutions such as the Guggenheim Bilbao (2007), the Museo Nacional de Escultura in Vallad- olid, Spain (2015), the Centro Cultural Metropolitano in Quito, Ecuador (2017) and the Picasso Museum in Barcelona (2019), among others. Locally, in addition to overseeing the artistic direction of the second edition of the Malta Biennale, she also curated the Constellation Malta project in 2018, during Valletta's tenure as the European Capital of Culture. In 2022, she curated the solo exhibition LE.IVA by Maltese artist Austin Camilleri at Spazju Kreat- tiv. "I am delighted to have the opportuni- ty to contribute to the consolidation of the Malta Biennale as a relevant artistic platform. Sharing my experience and curatorial vision to foster meaningful dialogues between innovative aesthetic trends, contemporary thought, and the fascinating cultural heritage of the Maltese archipelago is both a pleasure and a challenge. I look forward to continue exploring and expanding the transformative power of art from this unique, complex and radiant epi- center of the Mediterranean." Following Rosa Martínez's appoint- ment, the next step will be the develop- ment of the Biennale's curatorial theme and the selection of the historical sites that will host the event. This will be fol- lowed by calls for artists and pavilions, and activities related to the Biennale. The third edition of the Malta Bien- nale will take place between March and May 2028, across various historical sites and museums managed by Heritage Malta throughout Malta and Gozo.