Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/448091
XV This week maltatoday, Sunday, 18 January 2015 Russian Orthodox Christmas celebrated at San Anton OPEN DAY Discover Government's ICT backbone as MITA opens its doors to the only Tier III Data Centre in the region. MITA Data Centre Old Railway Track Santa Venera Sunday, 25th January 2015 - 9:00am - 5:00pm – Exclusive tours inside MITA's Data Centre facilities – Information about Government's ICT systems and programmes – Opportunity to meet ICT professionals and get career guidance – Exhibition area and 'Learn to Code' sessions for dierent ages For more info visit: mita.gov.mt/openday Part of the Free parking available at St. Philip's Hospital Thirteen days after the Western Christ- mas, on January 7, the Russian Ortho- dox Church celebrates its Christmas, in accordance with the old Julian calendar. It is a day of both solemn ritual and joy- ous celebration. It has become traditional for the President of Malta to host the Russian community in Malta and their Maltese friends and collaborators to celebrate the Orthodox Christmas festivity in the Russian Chapel at San Anton. It is in the spirit of friendship and solidarity that the President of Malta, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, has conceded for this celebration be held at the palace by a concert which, this year, was organized on January 9. Present for the occasion were many guests, including Ambas- sadors and Oleg Beglov, Director of the Russian Centre for Science and Culture who started the evening with a short speech where he thanked the Present of Malta for hosting the event and talked about the importance of religion that bring people together. He asked the au- dience to appreciate the embellishments that have been done last year on the Russian Chapel, with the participation of the Russian Embassy and the Russian Centre for Science and Culture created by the famous Russian artist Nikolai Mukhin; thus confirming the religious and historical connections between our two countries. Albert Storace, who compered the event, introduced the choir 'Logos' consisting of six members, under the direction of Alexey Pokrovsky. This group specialises in the interpretation of Russian Orthodox religious chants and old Russian folksongs and is known in Russia for their wide repertoire and enjoyment they bring to their audience. Gozitan troupe adapts Lord of the Flies for the stage Seat sale offer announced for La Traviata in Gozo In collaboration with the manage- ment of the Teatru Astra, the Gozo Creative Theatre Club will perform The Lord of the Flies by the playwright, poet and Nobel literature prize winner William Golding on the occasion of the 60th Anniversary of the publica- tion of this novel. During an unnamed time of war, a plane carrying a group of British schoolboys is shot down over the Pacific. The pilot of the plane is killed, but many of the boys sur- vive the crash and find themselves deserted on an uninhabited island where they struggle to develop their own society. The characters discover fire, craft tools, and form political and social systems in a process that recalls theories of the development of early man. The Lord of the Flies deals with various issues such as, the nature of evil, dehumanization of relationships and the loss of innocence. However the overarching theme is the con- flict between the human impulse towards savagery and the rules of civilization which are designed to contain and minimise it. The Lord of the Flies had been adapted for stage by Nigel Wil- liams for the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1996. This play is still popular to this very day as there is a continuing controversy surrounding the political message of the novel and its view of human nature. This production will be di- rected by the Gozo Creative Thea- tre Club's artistic director George Mizzi. The cast, made up of more than 20 actors, include Matthias Mercieca as Ralph, Andre' Refalo as Jack, John Psailia as Piggy, Dylan Attard as Roger and Sam Anthony Grima as Simon. The Lord of the Flies will be staged at Teatru Astra, Victoria, Gozo on January 24 and 25 at 20:00. Entrance is at €5. Tickets are available at the bar. The seating will be limited to 200 people and will be on a first come first served basis After it announced the opera title of Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata for the opening of the Autumn- 2015 theatre season, the Teatru tal-Opra Aurora can announce that prior booking and online ticket sales have just started. Tickets are being sold at €80, €70, €60 and €45, with a 10% reduction for tickets purchased and paid before end of May 2015. This early-bird offer is once again proving popular with local opera aficionados, as the competition for the best aisle seats is always the toughest. Indeed, some of the best seats are already showing as occupied. To better serve its patrons, the Aurora Opera House has just launched a round-the-clock ticket hotline, as an alternative to the time-restricted box office system. Maltese patrons may contact the theatre anytime on 7904 5779 to secure their seats via telephone. Patrons in Gozo may use the same hotline to set a personalised view- ing of the seating plan in order to book or purchase their seats. Alternatively, one may log onto w w w.teatruaurora.com to see the real-time seating plan and instantly purchase his preferred seats in a safe and secure way. La Traviata, an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, famous for its Brindisi (Drinking Song) amongst other arias, will be held at the Aurora Theatre, on October 17, 2015 at 19:30. Colin Attard leads an international cast, supported by the Aurora Opera Chorus and the Malta Philhar- monic Orchestra. For more information, log on to: info@leone.org.mt President of Malta Marie Louise Coleiro Preca (centre)