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maltatoday SUNDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2017 32 This Week EXHIBITION UNTIL NOVEMBER 13 Collectif Elili Photography Exhibition The work of six photographers from the Collectif Génération Elili will be exhibited at the Mal- ta Postal Museum & Arts Hub, 135, Archbishop Street, Valletta in the run up and during Rima Film Festival. La Génération Elili is a group of photographers based in Brazzaville, engaged in the promotion of Congolese photography on an international level. All of the members of the Collectif are self-educated art- ists, wholly passionate about photography, and determined to promote the valorisation of the visual arts and the improvement of photography in all of its man- ifestations. UNTIL NOVEMBER 18 I Am the Body of a Human Exhibition by US artist Andrew Birk at Malta Contemporar y Art, Felix Street, Valletta. Birk presents a series of Life Shrouds, an exercise of dirt-on-denim pieces made with the imprint of his own body. These paint- ings are multiple indexes of one same reference, a physicalit y in movement: each the unpredict- able product of an alive, perfect machine. UNTIL DECEMBER 12 REL•INK – Indelible Narratives Collective exhibition drawing on the history of tattoos in Malta, on display at the Malta Maritime Museum, Birgu. Featuring oral ac- counts and images of tattoo designs of elderly Maltese men, who worked on ships or on the waterfront as stevedores, fishermen, longshore- men, dockers, sail makers, sailors, stewards, coalmen, firemen, Royal Navy service men, Merchant Navy men, firemen, stokers, labourers and others. REL•INK is a commu- nity outreach project in collabo- WHAT'S ON TODAY In Guardia Parade Historical re-enactment at Fort St Elmo Place, Valletta at 11:00. The re-enactment portrays the inspection of the fort and its garrison by the Grand Bailiff of the Order of the Knights of St. John in charge of military affairs. During the re-enactment of the fort's garrison - some 50 re- enactors in all, kitted-out in their uniforms per- form their military drill to demonstrate to the Grand Bailiff its state of readiness. Fort Manoel visit with FAA Guided tour of Fort Manoel, Manoel Island, Gzira organised by Flimkien ghal Ambjent Ahjar. Starts at 11:00. Visitors will be able to view the restoration that has taken place. One can hear the stories of the fort and the island, and admire the views of Valletta from the other side. More information: http://new. faa.org.mt. Malta Book Festival Annual edition of the Malta Book Festival (formerly Malta Book Fair) at the Mediterra- nean Conference Centre, Valletta. The pro- gramme of events will feature conferences on themes of literary and sociopolitical impor- tance, book and author presentations, book launches, fun activities for children, readings and much more. This year's special guests in- clude: Rosie Goldsmith, the renowned BBC journalist, the US born and UK raised novelist and poet Ros Barber, French novelist Gilbert Sinoué, Kuwaiti poet Shahd Al Shammari and local author Alex Vella Gera. Another special guest for this year is Ahmad Said Abdel Mo- neim, a renowned Arab publisher who will be giving a talk on subversive literature in the Arab world. Saturday evening closes off with a highlight event: the short film premiere in Te- mi Zammit Hall at MCC. This year's winner of the NBC PBS Short Film Contest is the com- pany Mitħolma of Charles Stroud, who will be adapting Joe Friggieri 's short story Dritt Għall-Punt from the collection of short stories Nismagħhom Jgħidu (Kite Group, 2016). Book launch – L-Iżvijati Book launch for Walid Nabhan's latest novel, L-Iżvijati. Taking place at the Sir Temi Zam- mit Hall, Mediterranean Conference Centre at 19:00, as part of the Malta Book Festival. With the participation of John Portelli, Nor- bert Bugeja and Jean Paul Borg. Fiddler On The Roof Production of the beloved musical at the Don Bosco Oratory, Gozo. Main parts will be played by Noel Galea as Tev ye and Maria Cassar as Golde. Special guest star in this pro- duction will be Malta's reknowned violinist George Curmi (Puse'). Other characters will be interpreted by Ruth Portelli, Fabian Galea, Antonella Rapa and Lara Xerri Mompalao together with other talented musicians, sing- ers and dancers. The musical director is John Galea, Jamie Camilleri is the artistic director of the show, while the choreographers are Si- mone Grech and Frances Zammit. Bookings: 21556616, 99487751, donbogo@gmail.com. Witty banter and twisty turns Actress Tina Rizzo speaks to TEODOR RELJIC about her upcoming role in The Birthday Suit, a dark comedy by David K. Barnes set to be staged at Blue Box, M Space in Msida from next weekend What attracted you to this production in general and your character in particular? How do you feel about her now versus when you first got the role and started mulling over her emotional journey and its implications? The witty banter, the fast paced dialogue and the hilarious twist of the piece. Diane's character is very controlling over her boyfriend Nick. She is desperate to make a good impression at Richard's par- ty, so much so that she over thinks every detail. She wants everything to go perfectly, but obviously it doesn't. As a result Diane has a nervous breakdown while slowly drowning her sorrows in wine. I think it's the funny ups and downs of this character which makes it extremely fun to play. My interpretation of the character has obviously changed since the read through. It's an ongoing process because even at this late stage in rehearsals, I am still experiment- ing and trying new things to keep the character active and alive. Without me wanting to, during every rehearsal, I learn something new about the character I am playing. I'm very happy to be working with Anthony Bezzina. As a direc- tor he allows us, as actors, to play around and try new things. I feel it is super important to keep the rehearsal process alive and keep discovering new things, because once the process becomes mo- notonous the creativity is gone. This is deadly to any production, as I feel the playfulness in the re- hearsal space is such an important aspect in developing the character on an individual level, but also connecting and creating a dynam- ic with the other characters in the play. What would you say makes this play different to other productions you have participated in? And are there any similarities between your character and others you may have played? If so, what are they, and is there something in particular you enjoy exploring about these roles? Well firstly, this play is a four- hander, and even though I enjoy working with a big cast, it's re- ally been fun working with Lar- issa [Bonaci], Joe [Azzopardi] and Malcolm [Galea]. Secondly, it has been slightly challenging as we all need to keep up the stamina and remain focused because of the fast paced dialogue and the fact that we are practically on stage all the time. I don't think I've ever played a character like this, so it has been fun exploring and interpreting the dynamics of Diane's character. Birthday Suit promises to be a razor-sharp comedy – what kind of experience do you hope the audience will get out of it? I hope that they will enjoy them- selves, it is a comedy for an ener- getic fun night out. Four very dif- ferent characters stuck together for one night, their differences and certain plot twists are hilari- ous, which will keep the audience laughing as well as their attention. What do you make of the local theatrical scene? What would you change about it? I think the local theatrical scene is growing in a positive direction. Every year it is improving as there are more productions, funds, and opportunities at schools and thea- tre companies. I have certainly seen an increase in the impor- tance of the performing arts, from when I was studying drama as a kid. A lot has improved in only a few years, so I can only imagine what positive aspects the future theatre scene holds. However, having said that, I do wish there was a higher level of professionalism in the theatrical scene from a legal perspective. This would ensure that the actors' pay and role in the production is backed up with a legal profes- sional contract. I am aware that actors are presented with con- tracts, but more often than not, these contracts are vague. I would like to see an improvement in the content of the document. This contract would safeguard the actor to avoid any sort of abuse regarding pay and their role in the production, so nothing is taken for granted or advantage of. What's next for you? I'm taking part in this year's Masquerade Pantomime; Alice in Wonderland, as principal boy Jack of Hearts. I've been juggling both Panto and Birthday Suit rehears- als, which at times might be slight- ly stressful when it comes down to learning the lines, however it's been a blast so far. I'm also taking part in HUSH, an original musical by Denise Mulholland and Luke Saydon which will be staged in March 2018 at the Manoel Thea- tre. Apart from these productions that are lined up, I'm also in the process of applying for my MA in Classical and Contemporary Text in the UK. So, while juggling rehearsals and performances, I'll also be fly- ing up and down throughout the year for auditions and interviews. It's all very crazy, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm looking forward to a very exciting packed year ahead! The Birthday Suit – a Masquer- ade production – will be staged at Blue Box, M Space, Msida on November 17-19; 24-26 at 20:00. The rest of the cast includes Mal- colm Galea, Larissa Bonaaci and Joe Azzopardi, and the play is di- rected by Anthony Bezzina. Book- ings: HYPERLINK "http://www. bluebox.com.mt/"www.bluebox. com.mt Walid Nabhan