Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/199842
29 maltatoday, PIRATES VS. PHILLIPS pg 34 SUNDAY, 27 OCTOBER 2013 COOL KAUNAS pg 38 MAGNIFICENT MASAALA pgs 36, 37 t heads to Malta The compelling theatre of conspiracy it on screen, that becomes the sense of completion. But doing comic strips counts as finished art for me. And also, the angles we can use in comics are totally conceived by where our minds want to go. The storyboards are for camera, which is different, because there are very definite decisions why a particular shot is used, but overall, the difference for me is negligible: it's all storytelling for a finished product. It's the same art skill applied. The industries are similar, though with comics, the art has to please the artist first before the editor sees… in film, the art has to please the director first, so that he or she's vision, is clear. What was working on a hugely popular property like Game of Thrones like? Is a TV series schedule more of a grueling grind than feature films? Did the fact that you had George RR Martin's original novels to draw from help you to illustrate the scenes? Game of Thrones is a tremendous job. What can I say? I love it. I don't find any difference in the TV schedule and a film one. I'm given a certain amount of work, and I get on with it. Everything is always needed pretty much as fast as you can do it. George's novels certainly fill out some of the information that can help, but the scripts I work from for the series are pretty clear and have to be my basis for description on the job. Everything is about the best way to deliver the episodes, and what is practical to film. Also, one has to work from the concepts of scenes as developed by the art department, or the locations that have been chosen. A lot of extra information comes to me to try and get my storytelling right. It's the director's choice. What kind of attributes do you think an artist – and, indeed, a person in general – should have to embark on a career like yours (namely, Actor Alan Montanaro speaks to TEODOR RELJIC about his role in DnA Theatre's uncharacteristically sombre and politically urgent production: a staging of Kenneth N Ross's 'The Lockerbie Bomber', which puts forward the theory that Abdelbaset al Megrahi, the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, was merely a convenient scapegoat in a far more complex story Look familiar? Simpson's Concept illustration for the 'White Walkers' in Game of Thrones one that straddles both comic books and TV/cinema)? A love of art and a diversity of ability, is the simple answer. This is not a career for the weak at heart. It takes a certain type of madness to devote your life to drawing stories, in whatever media. But the big thing is: can you love what you do? Can you get up in the morning and find you have an overriding desire to draw, whether for cash or not? Malta Comic Con will be taking place at St James Cavalier, Valletta on November 30 and December 1. More information: www.maltacomic-con. com Playing with icons: Simpson had the opportunity to illustrate legendary figures like Judge Dredd throughout his career Alan Montanaro (left) and Alan Paris in 'The Lockerbie Bomber' What was behind the decision to shift from comedy to drama? And why did you pick this particular play? When we started DnA Theatre Productions we set out to provide a platform for creative expression and exploration while offering audiences a mix of cheers and chills, self reflection and analysis but, above all, enjoyment and entertainment. That's what our mission is, and so far we have always presented light comedies "with a soul". But with 'The Lockerbie Bomber', DnA enters the dark world of politics and opens a new chapter for the company. We were approached with this play by director Herman Grech, who is a bit of a political animal and who had, as a journalist, run a few stories on Lockerbie tragedy. 2013 is the 25th anniversary of the Lockerbie disaster and questions are still being asked as more facts of the case reveal themselves. Conspiracy theories are rife and in the words of my own character (an MI6 agent): "It will all come out in the wash eventually". Do you think Maltese audiences are ready to experience a play – in the sense that, apart from any other art form, it's a 'live' representation of – about the events of the Lockerbie tragedy? We don't underestimate the intelligence of our Maltese audiences. The Malta connection to the disaster (alleged connection, perhaps) will resonate with anybody who comes to watch this show because it really is close to home – and who doesn't like a good conspiracy theory, anyway? How do you think the 'conspiracy theory' element will be received by local audience? It's certainly fodder for discussion. You have to appreciate that this disaster happened during our lifetime, and most of us remember it well. The bomb on the Pan Am 103 flight allegedly set off from Malta and exploded over Lockerbie. Pan Am 103 was delayed by 20 minutes when it left for New York, and had it departed on schedule, it would have exploded over the ocean, leaving no clues at all. As it happened, the delay caused the bomb to explode over the sleepy town of Lockerbie and the meticulous search through the wreckage and debris which was spread over miles led investigators to a dark little shop in Tower Road, Sliema. Apart from the conspiracy the- ory element, what made the play attractive to you as a company? Could you speak a bit about the way it is structured, and the genre it belongs to (or comes close to belonging to)? 'The Lockerbie Bomber' – with the inverted commas thoughtfully placed as they invite us to reevaluate who we are actually referring to – is a modern piece. The fact that we are performing this piece on the 25th anniversary of the disaster makes it very significant. The play presents six carefully developed characters with very defined roles: parents who lost a child in the disaster, two journalists determined to uncover the truth, and a CIA and MI6 agent scheming to make sure everyone sticks to the public version of events. 'The Lockerbie Bomber' will be staged at St James Cavalier, Valletta on November 1-3; 8-10 at 20:00. Tickets are at €15. Bookings: 21 223216, 21 223200; boxoffice@sjcav. org or visit www.sjcav.org. The play is rated 16 YOUR FIRST CLICK OF THE DAY www.maltatoday.com.mt