Acclaimed Show About Sette Giugno Could Soon Be Aired On TV
Photos: Jamie Iain Genovese
If you missed the Maltese show everyone is talking about, you’d be happy to know you may soon be able to catch it on TV.
VII (Sette), the critically-acclaimed local theatre production about Sette Giugno, stunned audiences but was only performed for six sold-out shows over two weekends.
Thankfully, Teatru Malta filmed the show and is currently in talks to air the production on television to broaden audiences beyond the 3,000 people who watched it live.
VII (Sette) was commissioned by the national theatre company and produced by The New Victorians, a Maltese sister duo who will be debuting two other original shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this August.
“Of course, I know it is a pity that the show did not run for the whole summer and that schoolchildren did not get to watch this, but Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Teatru Malta’s artistic director Sean Buhagiar told Lovin Malta.
Asked if the show would be performed again at a later stage, Buhagiar said: “Since it’s not a production that was conceived for touring, it’s not an easy feat to reproduce since it had many local international collaborators and professionals who would need to come together again when needed – however if the right opportunity arises, never say never. VII is now part of Teatru Malta’s growing heritage.”
“We did document the whole process and we filmed the product professionally. We are currently in talks to air the production on television to broaden audiences beyond the 3,000 people who watched it live. In terms of the music created for the show, I think it would be a pity if it does not have a future. Let’s see.”
Buhagiar said there were various challenges to extending the lifetime of such a show due to the high budgets required and the reluctance of Maltese audiences to pay for such quality.
“We are very proud of VII. It was our largest and most ambitious project yet. Teatru Malta is a young national theatre company, we’re only halfway into our second year of programming. It takes time, vision and strategy to be able to plan a cultural shift. Teatru Malta is doing its best to be a strong part of it.”
“With VII, we took some bold decisions and calculated risks which turned out to be fabulous ones. We gave two young talented female artists like The New Victorians the opportunity to create their largest theatrical production yet. Saying they delivered is an understatement.”
“I do believe that VII will create ripples, and audiences will trust us more with their valuable time. I do hope they help to prove that they prefer buying a ticket for a quality production rather than attending another randomly subsidised free event. We’ll keep working, this is only the beginning.”
Did you watch VII (Sette)? Tell us what you thought about it in the comments below
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