Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/318021
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 25 MAY 2014 36 WITH temperatures rising and summer weather settling in, it normally means one thing for those culture vultures out there… the end of the Maltese theatre season. But for those of you who still have not satis- fied your comic appetites fret not, as TAC Theatre are bring one last theatrical tour-de- force before the summer sets in, one – hopefully – packed with laughs. Let's face it, with a few ex- ceptions the 2013/14 theatre season has had a plethora deep and moving pieces deal- ing with issues from the sex trade and same sex relation- ships, to the violence of love and suicide. But things were slightly lacking on the laughter front, for what- ever reason. So, to close off this theatrical season TAC Theatre have found a comic delight, The Ac- cidental Pervert, a hi- larious comedy coming straight off it's fifth year running Off-Broadway. Written by comic vet- eran Andrew Goffman, The Accidental Pervert is an autobiographical one- man-show which tells the tale of an 11-year-old boy who finds his father's col- lection of X-rated videos hidden in the closet and subsequently develops an unhealthy addiction to porn. In this comedy, Andrew strug- gles to find the balance between fantasy and reality when he finally meets his wife-to-be. "They say don't judge a book by it's cover, but with a play, the title is what really catches your attention. Un- fortunately a lot of the time, a good 'title', is all you find…" says Wesley Ellul, co-founder of TAC Theatre, "but sometimes… beneath a good title lies a hilarious play, which you know you have to produce. This is what we've found in The Accidental Pervert." Marc Cabourdin will be holding the directorial reins to work with funny man Malcolm Galea and to- gether take on the challenge of tell- ing this wild and wacky tale, through this 80 min one-man-show. THIS WEEK Of the four snake species that occur today in the Maltese Islands, three very likely arrived – in various stages of human history – as accidental stowaways on merchant ships from mainland Europe or North Africa. The fourth, and therefore probably the only truly native snake, is the black (or Western) whip snake. This snake is possibly the same Biblical character that didn't appreciate being thrown on the re by a certain shipwreck survivor in 60AD, an incident that shot the reptile to undeserved notoriety. For all its blackness and bad press, the Serp Iswed doesn't – and never did – come equipped with venom glands. Its prey, which is mostly mice and rats, is killed by constriction. The black whip is the most common and widespread of our snakes and indeed is the only snake that also occurs in Gozo and Kemmuna. Thanks to their rodent-squeezing habits, snakes are considered bene cial to humans and are therefore legally protected in Malta. Disgusting human-centred way of reasoning of course, but still... Text Victor Falzon Photo Denis Cachia 405. BLACK WHIP SNAKE Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us www.foemalta.org. You can also support us by sending a blank SMS donation on 50618070 (€4.66) or 50619223 (€11.65). GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 307: HOME-MADE VEGETABLE STOCK - Making stock is a great way to use up 'leftovers' - but did you know you can also use bits that normally go in the compost bin - like carrot peelings, onion skins and celery leaves? All terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems provide multiple ecosystem services. However some ecosystems are particularly important in that they provide services that directly contribute to human wellbeing by providing services and goods to fulfill daily needs. Actions taken to protect and restore such ecosystems will have benefits for biodiversity as well as human wellbeing. This target aims that by 2020, ecosystem resilience and the contribution of biodiversity to carbon stocks have been enhanced, through conservation and restoration, including restoration of at least 15 per cent of degraded ecosystems, thereby contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation and to combating desertification. Deforestation, wetland drainage and other types of habitat change and degradation lead to the emission of carbon dioxide, methane and other greenhouse gases. The reversal of these processes, through ecosystem restoration, represents an immense opportunity for both biodiversity restoration and carbon sequestration. In fact, in many countries, degraded landscapes, represent a huge wasted resource. Restored landscapes and seascapes can improve resilience including adaptive capacity of ecosystems and societies, and can contribute to climate change adaptation and generate additional benefits for people, in particular indigenous and local communities and the rural poor. The conservation, restoration and sustainable management of forests, soils (especially peatlands), freshwater and coastal wetlands and other ecosystems are proven, cost-effective, safe and immediately-available means to sequester carbon dioxide and prevent the loss of other greenhouse gases. As part of its national obligations Malta targets that by 2020, the impacts of climate change on ecosystems have been reduced, in so far as feasible and, mitigation and adaptation responses to climate change that support and conserve biodiversity have been agreed and are being implemented. Text by Martin Galea De Giovanni Aichi Biodiversity Targets – Ecosystems restored and resilience enhanced The 'accidental pervert' is coming to town Rated 18+, The Accidental Pervert opens on June 6, with additional shows on June 8, 13, 14 and 15 at St James Cavalier in Valletta. All shows start at 20:00. Tickets for the opening weekend are only €10, with all other shows at €15. Tickets available online from www.tactheatre.com or in person from St James Cavalier Box Office NOTICE TO VOLUNTEERS The Environment Protection Directorate together with Kai Marine who are responsible for the scientific surveys of this EU LIFE+ MIGRATE Project (LIFE 11 NAT/MT/1070) are resuming studies initiated last year on the status of the population of the loggerhead turtle (il-fekruna tal-baħar) and the bottlenose dolphin (id-denfil ta' geddumu qasir) in Maltese waters. Anyone interested in volunteering and helping in the project's data collection is welcome to send their contact details by email: life.migrate@mepa.org.mt or by phone: 2290 7108 or 2290 7316 during office hours. Interested Interested volunteers will receive free training on how to identify the different species when out at sea, a quarterly newsletter with updates on the project and a certificate for the support offered.