Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/637230
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2016 39 What was it like to perform in a play like this, with its 'pulled- from-the-headlines' story? Was it challenging to re-create these 're- al-life' characters on stage? Kim Dalli: It gives you a sense that you're involved, artistically, in some- thing relevant to our life and times. Daniela Carabott Pawley: It is best form of theatre. It's great because we can relate to it better than working, say, in a great play set abroad, where we do not have any direct experi- ence of the circumstances around it. Mariele Zammit: Yeah but it doesn't have to be about us to be great nei- ther. DCP: Of course not, but that's what Staġun Teatru Malti does. Plays about Maltese. I can relate to that because it is directly about my world. Shelby Aquilina: In this particular play we don't know who the real girls were. KD: I heard it's an urban myth. DCP: No, no it's true. Not the play, but the story about the four girls bet- ting who'd get pregnant first. KD: But the play is fiction. DCP: Based on the truth. ALL: Yeah, yeah. But it goes beyond what might have happened. Simon used it only as a starting point. It's so much more than that. The play and its characters are shocking and blackly humorous in equal measure. Did you feel like you had to make these girls some- how sympathetic, and was this dif- ficult? KD: As an actress, an artist, you have your own ideas, but then rehearsals start. SA: Long rehearsals! KD: Yeah, long hours, but they they help you focus and discover things you never knew you knew. DCP: Then the director comes in, and the rest of the cast and you build, together. SA: This is very collaborative work. It's fun, and hard, but it's the best. DCP: I think not knowing who these girls were is better. Like that, you can create a whole new character from scratch. On a similar note, what was it like trying to balance out the humour and the drama of the piece? MZ: The humour in the play is re- ally funny but after you laugh there's that feeling that, in reality, you are laughing at some very misguided characters. Yeah it's funny but my goodness, it's not a joke, you know what I mean? KD: It sure does not end funny. SA: Don't give anything away, Kim. KD: No, no I won't. DCP: I think it's scary. What these girls do, how they behave, what they believe in. It's really scary. SA: Our director is doing a great job figuring out the moments and keep the pace of the script. Ultimately, do you think this play has a 'message' for younger people, or should it be taken as a kitchen- sink expose of harsh social truths? KD: Big whopping message I think. MZ: But it's not spelled out, like, it's not a sermon. SA: No definitely not a sermon but a strong statement nonetheless. DCP: But it's left pending. You make out of it what you want. KD: I think you could say that the message is in the expose, and the ex- pose is in the message. SA: (laughing) That's very deep! Finally, what do you make of the local theatrical scene? What would you change about it? KD: I think there is a very healthy theatre scene in Malta these days. SA: There's something happening almost every weekend. KD: Looks like we will be playing to full houses. DCP: I think we need to see some more classical theatre. I mean, you know, more plays from the world's great authors. Possibly translated into Maltese. SA: Staġun Teatru Malti however is only interested in original works. MZ: We should talk to them… not that original works are bad, mind you… Directed by Sean Buhagiar, Hab- bilni Ha Nirbah will be staged at the Manoel Theatre, Valletta on Febru- ary 12-14; 19-21. Bookings: book- ings@teatrumanoel.com.mt, 2124 6389 This Week Get knocked up, win some cash Four young actresses, Kim Dalli, Daniela Carabott Pawley, Mariele Zammit and Shelby Aquilina star in Stagun Teatru Malti's production of Simon Bartolo's Habbilni Ha Nirbah, based on the shocking true story of a quartet of Maltese girls who 'compete' to get pregnant on a wager. TEODOR RELJIC had the chance to interview them altogether during a brief break during rehearsals, before they open at the Manoel Theatre on February 12 Girls gone wild (L-R): Shelby Aquilina, Daniela Carabott Pawley, Kim Dalli and Mariele Zammit Exploring the four curiosities of Rabat FLIMKIEN għal Ambjent Aħjar's second event for 2016 is a heritage walk by Fr Eugene Teuma on Rabat and the Roman Melita – which ex- tended from Mdina to Rabat – Mal- ta's richest area in terms of Roman remains, which will take place on February 13. This interesting walk around the town of Rabat will start from St. Francis' Friary at 14:30 and will ex- plore the fascinating early history of Rabat and Mdina. Roman Melita (Mdina & Rabat) and the Fortifications System The few 17th and 18th Century texts that mention the remains al- low us to formulate an idea of how Rabat looked as regards its buildings, roads and especially the impressive fortifications that once surrounded it. A good part of what remains of ancient Rabat survives in the nar- row passage-ways, water systems, and cellars to be found beneath Ra- bat's streets. The tour will start from one of the few remaining vestiges of this once impressive system of fortifications that withstood two years of siege un- til 870 A.D. The events that followed spelled the end and the destruction of this ancient town and its impres- sive city walls which though over 1,000 years old had serving their purpose well. Visitors will be able to catch glimpses of this town and follow its outline within the modern town of Rabat and Mdina. Fr. Eugene Paul Teuma has been fascinated by the archaeological remains and history of Rabat and Mdina, especially the Roman town of Melita ever since the chance dis- covery of a complex water system and galleries beneath Rabat in the 1980s. The documentation of these remains was instrumental in the in- terpretation of the surviving surface structures around Rabat and Mdina which led to the drawing up of a detailed interpretation of what the fortifications around the town of Melita once looked like. This event is open to FAA mem- bers. Should you wish to become a member you can do so at http:// new.faa.org.mt/how-to-help/be- come-a-member/. Visitors are re- minded to wear comfortable shoes and warm, showerproof clothing. The walk will go ahead in case of showers. Tickets at €13 can be booked by vis- iting: https://ticketengine.faa.org.mt/