Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/306555
THIS WEEK JIMMY Grima and Michael Fenech will be interviewed by Dr Marco Galea in the last session of the Mid- Dinja tat-Teatru series for this sea- son, which will be held on Monday, May 5 at 19:00 at the Manoel Thea- tre, Valletta. Offering a glimpse into the world of theatre in Malta, the Mid-Dinja tat-Teatru series is now at the end of its second season. Every month, some of the protagonists from the Maltese theatre scene shared their ideas, experiences and memories on the Manoel stage. Audiences not on- ly physically shared the same stage, but also the same dreams and mem- ories, gaining a holistic perspective of Maltese theatre from different aspects of stage production. Having graduated as a teacher, Michael Fenech was a founder member and headmaster of San An- ton School, a private independent school, between 1988 and 1996. In 1991 he was awarded a Masters in Education by the University of Mal- ta, where he has lectured within the Faculty of Education. He has recent- ly read for an MA in Curating from The University of the Arts London. Fenech has been involved in thea- tre and TV since 1979. In 1981 he was co-founder of Ateatru, an ex- perimental/political theatre group. He directed numerous theatre and TV works, and was a drama tutor at the Manoel Theatre Academy of Dramatic Art. In 1988, Michael was appointed Manager at the Manoel Theatre. Between 2001 and 2006 he was Executive Director of The Academy for the Development of a Democratic Environment (AZAD), a centre for political studies. He served as Chairman of St James Cav- alier Centre for Creativity between 2003 and 2013. He now runs Ideas Alive Ltd, a management training company. After attending the Drama Cen- tre, Jimmy Grima studied theatre and digital arts at the Dartington College of Arts. Since the incep- tion of the Rubberbodies collective in 2009 – of which he is artistic di- rector – he has been working with methodologies of devising within a group. He has worked within the realms of dance, theatre, perform- ance-art, performance-installation and site-specific performance. His aim is to interweave disciplines, dancers, actors, makers, installa- tion artists, sound artists, live mu- sicians, writers, cinematographers, scientists, historians and curators. Rubberbodies has worked on stage, in streets, abandoned spaces, muse- ums and national heritage sites. The work is all originally written and in most cases the authorship is of the collective. At Mid-Dinja tat-Teatru, audienc- es are seated on the Manoel Thea- tre stage, sharing the delight which most theatre people experience when looking on the Manoel stage. The interviews are held with some of the protagonists of the Maltese theatre scene, coming from a variety of roles: from actors and directors to producers. This season also intro- duced a number of changes: apart from the well-known names, the series also featured upcoming pro- tagonists who are making a mark on the local theatre scene. All in- terviews are carried out in Maltese. After the interview, the discussion can be carried over into the Manoel Theatre courtyard, where wine and nibbles are served. Entrance is free. The Mid-Dinja tat-Teatru series is a collaboration between Teatru Manoel and the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts, complement- ing the Francis Ebejer Competition maltatoday, SUNDAY, 4 MAY 2014 31 THIS WEEK INTERVISTI MA' PROTAGONISTI MID-DINJA TAT-TEATRU 5 TA' MEJJU JIMMY GRIMA U MICHAEL FENECH INTERVISTATI MINN MARCO GALEA ZZZPDOWDFXOWXUHFRPZZZWHDWUXPDQRHOFRP 7PM - TEATRU MANOEL DHUL B'XEJN - NUMRU LIMITAT 0822. Teatru - Mid-Dinja Tat-Teatru - 21x2.indd 1 29/04/2014 15:31 Jimmy Grima and Michael Fenech interviewed for Mid-Dinja tat-Teatru Ghanafest 2014 brimming with international talent THERE is the music of course – a varied programme of foreign and lo- cal acts which this year will revolve around the gypsy theme, with bands from Spain, Croatia and Israel. And there is the gћana – in turn soulful or comical – but always heartfelt, which comes pouring from the stage. And then there is the ambience, too, the beautiful Argotti Gardens, decked with lights and life, providing a fairy- tale setting to the tunes, old and new, filling the air. But perhaps the real reason which makes Gћanafest one of Malta's fastest-growing festivals is the atmos- phere: friendly and relaxed, families, young and not-so-young will feel equally at home here. Local artisans work at their crafts before your eyes, and will often chattily explain how they are made. This year, there's a children's workshop on tberfil too – the decorative painted lettering often found on the old buses which is rap- idly dying out. Yet despite its increasing popularity, the festival is still intimate enough for details to be curated lovingly. Even the food is carefully picked to a theme: no commercial entities are in sight: you are likelier to find pastizzi, imqaret and all things traditionally Maltese, making this festival – devoted to mu- sic, food and crafts – much more than just a series of concerts. In such a setting, folk music can flourish. Folk's power lies in its tell- ing of simple stories, the stirring tunes, the stunning rich voices – and this year's Gћanafest – which will run from 30 May to 1 June with a gypsy/klezmer music theme – prom- ises plenty of all of those. The festi- val, which is supported by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts and the Ministry for Justice, Culture and Local Government, is organised under the auspices of Fondazzjoni Ċelebrazzjonijiet Nazzjonali (FCN) in collaboration with Valletta 2018 Foundation. Foreign bands include BGKO (Bar- celona Gypsy Klezmer Orchestra), an ever growing family of professional musicians and singers that are often invited for guest appearances. As musicians and singers from Turkey, Slovenia, Switzerland, England, Rus- sia, Serbia, India, France, Greece, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Iran and Israel gave their contribution to the never- ending story, the BGKO brought Klezmer, Gipsy and Balkan music to all generations of Barcelona. Musical band Cinkuši has been play- ing ethno music for many years, com- bining their Kajkavian roots and her- itage with contemporary trends using many different songwriters and lyrics from sources such as Croatian writer Miroslav Krleža, Joško Božanić, Car- mina Burana, The Book of Genesis all the way to the clichés that stir col- lective emotions. Cinkuši's music has been included in prestigious foreign and national song collections and the band has collaborated on numerous theatre and film projects. Cinkuši re- ceived an award for the best original music at the 13th Days of Croatian Cinema and they were the subject of a documentary by Croatian National Television. Cinkuši's third album Spiritus Sanctus won the Croatian music award Porin in the category of best ethnic (world music) album of the year. Ramzailech from Israel will play on Sunday; their formula is simple and highly effective: an unstoppable live act, band members that head-dive right into the crowd, hora-circles and mosh pits of happy people and hardcore klezmer music everywhere. Ramzailech carried the hardcore- klezmer gospel overseas to Europe and even Asia with the spicy mixture of rock, Yiddish, English, Arab, He- brew and hardcore Klezmer. They will play at Gћanafest 2014 with the support of the Israeli embassy. The Maltese bands, too, bring their own specific brand of contemporary folk rooted in tradition. From Mistu- ra and Frank O'Neill on Friday night to Kantilena on Sunday night, these bands all bring a focus on the Maltese language and contemporary folk. The qarċilla, too - the wedding parody which was revived for this year's Car- nival - will make a return to this year's Gћanafest, accompanied by a musical element, on Saturday evening. Ghanafest – Malta Mediterranean Folk Music Festival 2014 is support- ed by the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts and the Ministry for Justice, Culture and Local Govern- ment under the auspices of Fon- dazzjoni Ċelebrazzjonijiet Nazzjonali in collaboration with Valletta 2018 Foundation. Sponsors of the festival include MSV Life and the Phoenicia Hotel. The Festival will be held on 30 May-1 June at 7pm, Argotti Gardens, Floriana – within walking distance from Valletta. Tickets: €3 and €7 for a three-day block ticket available at the door. Parking available at the Floriana Boy Scouts headquarters, right next to the venue For most information, log on to: www.maltafolkmusicfestival.org BGKO (Barcelona Gypsy Klezmer Orchestra) Jimmy Grima Michael Fenech