Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/920426
maltatoday SUNDAY 31 DECEMBER 2017 28 This Week Their hopes for 2018... "There's more to music than Eurovision and Paceville" "There's been some exceptional music that came out this year, from The Velts to Brodu's album Tfejt. I certainly can't complain on an artistic level as to what's been released. I would love to see more of these alternative bands spending more and more time touring to build a bigger and wider audience. The music's definitely getting better and anything that inspires the next generation of Maltese songwriters that there's more to music than Eurovision and Paceville is a good thing." - Jimmy Bartolo, musician "Parochialism is a real risk" "On a national level, Malta needs to respect its deceased artists more. Education should pay respect to Maltese artists of the 20th and 21st centuries who worked in a modern idiom. I also think there should be less red tape when it comes to arts funds, and fewer hobbyists elevated to national hero standards. I would also like to see my country dedicate an entire museum to Modern Maltese artists. This I believe would help foster respect for and a stronger acknowledgement of our past – something which young budding artists seem to lack, let alone the general public. There should be more international exhibitions to show main currents in history of art, rather than exhibitions concerning individual artists. Unless this happens, as vibrant as our local scene may be, it risks remaining very parochial." - Jesmond Vassallo, artist "Safety means stagnation" "At the risk of oversimplifying a situation, I feel that we play it safe by supporting well-trodden paths of traditional performance rather than give concrete support to those who push the boundaries and expectations of our audiences. Unless this attitude changes, performers will not be able to dedicate their time and energy on creating contemporary, thought-provoking pieces and Malta's arts scene will remain stagnant." - Julia Camilleri, dancer "The theatrical atmosphere is quite cut-throat" "For a number of reasons, I believe that currently the number of theatre groups is seeming to have grown at a far greater rate than that of paying audiences so the whole atmosphere has become quite cut-throat, with producers now not only 'fighting' over good leading actors (mostly males) but also over our limited pool of patrons! More needs to be done to attract people to the theatre – including visitors or foreigners who live in Malta – to support our productions. Decent, affordable late night transport would help enormously! Since Valletta has permanently become the capital of culture in Malta in any year (not just 2018) we need to nurture this in every possible way, not least among them by providing accessible transport to major towns and villages late at night." - Marylou Coppini, artistic director, MADC "Actors deserve professional contracts" "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 professional contract, which 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." - Tina Rizzo, actress Culled from a year's worth of interviews with TEODOR RELJIC, local artists and creative practitioners reveal what they'd like to see more – or less – of in the year when our capital city becomes European Capital of Culture