Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/580873
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 4 OCTOBER 2015 30 This Week The game of regrets and second chances Going for the trophy TEODOR RELJIC speaks to actress Chiara Hyzler about her upcoming performance in The Trophy Room – a football comedy written and directed by James Calvert for Mostly Harmless Productions What excited you about performing in this production? Simon Bartolo's writing is incredibly colloquial and de- ceptively simple, which makes it both very accessible and im- mensely powerful. I saw this for myself when I acted in his previ- ous smash hit Jiena Nħobb, Inti Tħobb. His characters are com- plex, layered with wonderful in- tricacies that make them so chal- lenging and fun to play and so immediate to the audience. And his use of language lifts Maltese to its most entertaining – flitting from comic to pathos and back to funny at breakneck speed. How would you describe Simon Bartolo's theatrical writing? What does it contribute to the scene? As an actor and relatively new producer, I feel quite privileged to be staging and performing in Tikber u Tinsa, in which, I be- lieve, Simon surpasses himself by creating the memorable charac- ter of Albert Chetcuti. With his trademark one-liners and spar- ring dialogue, Simon does not merely manage to tell the story of a boy with a brilliant mind and an equally tortured soul. He does that and so much more. In the space of an hour, Simon's script and Roderick Vassallo's vision take us on a roller-coaster jour- ney and explore our human na- ture in such exquisite detail that one cannot but endear to this character. This is what encour- aged me to risk and produce this story. Some stories deserve and should be told. What are some of the key themes of the play, and how are they relevant to contemporary Maltese life? Tikber u Tinsa taps into a number of themes. It revolves around one question that is bound to intrigue many: if you had the possibility of going back in time and say one thing to your fifteen-year-old self, what would you say? The protagonist in Tik- ber u Tinsa faces this very possi- bility which – though nostalgic, funny, and poignant in nature – can create havoc in many unpre- dictable ways. Another central theme which I was very interested to explore is the clinging power of memories. Why do we remember what we remember? And how come we remember things we want to forget and forget things that ought to be remembered? Without revealing too much, the play also deals with one of today's taboos. What was it like to perform within such an intimate cast? What are some of the main challenges with this kind of setup? Performing within such an in- timate cast is actually one of the perks of doing Tikber u Tinsa. Having just played in Sibna ż-Żejt and Faith, Hope u Charity earlier on in the year – two theatre pro- ductions with very large casts – I am really enjoying every minute with fellow actors Jamie Cardona and Alison Abela. The reality of a very small cast is allowing us to be "on" all the time, and cherishing every minute we have together discussing and rehearsing with [director] Roderick Vassallo, our director. We don't have to wait for other actors to finish their scenes as in Tikber u Tinsa there is just us three. This also means that there is way more lines to study! How would you describe the Maltese-language theatre scene at the moment? What would you change about it? In all fairness, I think that the Maltese-language theatre scene is experiencing a renewal of sorts. Thanks to a number of theatre companies, who occasionally still have to defy an unstated but lin- gering skepticism that theatre in Maltese can be one of quality, it is becoming more frequent and more daring. True, not all theatre in Maltese attains the desired quality. But then again, nor do other forms of theatre and theatre in other languages. This should not in any way be interpreted as being ready to accept work of inferior quality. But I'd rather live in a creative hub that experiments and fails then sit on the fence complain- ing, criticising and theorising. Art should mean rolling up one's sleeves and dirtying one's hands. It is what I constantly say to myself: I am privileged as it is to be staging a play I myself want- ed so much to see as an audience member. I'd better work my butt off to avoid, first and foremost, disappointing myself. What's next for you? After Tikber u Tinsa, I am tak- ing a back seat from producing and will enjoy the rest of the year acting in other plays. But things look like I am going to be pro- ducing another riveting project in 2017. And I'm not saying any- thing more than that for now. Tikber u Tinsa will be per- formed at St James Cavalier, Val- letta on October 22-25 at 20:00. Directed by Roderick Vassallo, the cast includes Clive Piscopo, Jamie Cardona and Alison Abela. Bookings: http://www.kreattivita. org/event/tikber-u-tinsa/ What was it like performing for an original script? How does this differ to some of your previous productions? The script is great and really fun. There's a lot you can sink your teeth into and play around with. Working with this script for me, hasn't been any differ- ent from any other production as such, because I feel it should be tackled like any other, irrespec- tive of the fact that it's an origi- nal piece. The only difference is that since it's an original script, we have a bit more flexibility to amend and query. How would you describe your character? Petra is such a fun character to play because she is a strong independent woman who has achieved bucket loads all by her- self. She takes risks and is not afraid to make mistakes, even though I'm sure she'll never say that out loud. What were some of the main challenges of bringing her to life? I find it's sometimes hard to play such a strong female because you run the risk of going over the top and turning her into a mili- tant feminist, just because she works in an industry dominated by males. The tricky part for me was to create a balance between making her authoritative and fun at the same time. What's the dynamic between the cast like during rehearsals? We're having a ball! I have worked with most of them before but that was ages ago, so it really has been a great experience to watch them work. The rehears- als are getting more fun every day as we struggle for lines, im- provise through them, and then just laugh. I'm really honoured to form part of this cast. But don't tell them I said that. What can audiences expect from The Trophy Room? The Trophy room is a hilarious comedy about marriage, fidelity and money so they can expect a lot of laughs but even more twists. That's what makes this show super. How would you describe the local theatre scene? What would you change about it? I think locally the theatre scene is evolving and growing. Cur- rently theatre remains a hobby, which means you can never take it to a professional level because you will not have the time to do so and it becomes very hard to make a comfortable living from it. That's the main thing I would like to see change. What's next for you? Next up is 'Four play Four' by DNA theatre, between Novem- ber 6-8 and 13-15 at the Manoel Theatre, for which I am one of the writers and directors. The Trophy Room will be tak- ing place at the Blue Box Theatre, Msida from October 9 to 18 at 20:00. The rest of the cast includes John Montanaro, Steve Casaletto and Julia Calvert If you had a chance to revisit your 15-year-old self, what would you tell him or her? A new play by Simon Bartolo explores just this universal desire, and TEODOR RELJIC speaks to actor and producer Clive Piscopo about bringing this intimate, poignant story to life Clive Piscopo (left) and Jamie Cardona Chiara Hyzler: "I'm really honoured to form part of this cast. But don't tell them I said that"