Four Of Malta’s Top Editors To Discuss Freedom Of The Press At ‘Enemy Of The People’ Premiere
Four of Malta’s top editors will be discussing the freedom of the press in Malta following the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The discussion will take place following the debut performance of the play An Enemy of the People, which is themed around press freedom.
Rachel Attard (the Editor-in-Chief of The Malta Independent), Herman Grech (the Online Editor of The Times of Malta, and co-presenter and producer of Times Talk), Matthew Vella (the Executive Editor of MaltaToday) and Lovin Malta’s very own Political Editor Tim Diacono will be on the panel, which will be hosted by director Toni Attard.
“Theatre that doesn’t push boundaries and doesn’t get people thinking and talking about the society they live in is missing half the point,” explains the producer of the piece and the director of Unifaun Theatre Productions, Mr Adrian Buckle. “The subject matter of the play has some indisputable parallels with Malta, particularly in the post-Daphne Caruana Galizia assassination and post-truth society we now live in.”
The play, which was first written about 100 years ago by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen, follows the story of a scientist who uncovers a dark secret about the new spa being proposed in his hometown. As the events unfold, the fragile relationship between the media and politicians is exposed behind closed doors, leading audiences to wonder what is more important: the protection of citizens, the protection of investment, or the personal survival of politicians.
The producers of the play wanted to draw similarities between the plot and the current events in Malta, and have invited some of Malta’s best journalists to discuss this.
“Together, these three prominent and experienced journalists will be discussing one of the pillars in any democracy: the freedom of the press. Without it, we cannot hold politicians and institutions accountable; without it, we cannot really call ourselves ‘free’. So, we invite audience members to come and be part of this conversation, too!” said Mr Buckle.
To continue the discussion, Unifaun has also invited the adaptor of An Enemy of the People, playwright Brad Birch, to have a discussion with the audience on the last night of the production – Sunday 18th March.
Running between 9 and 11 March, and again between 16 and 18 March at M Space in Msida, the play will feature an all-star cast made up of Premju għall-Arti-nominee for Best Artist of the Year, Mikhail Basmadjian, as well as Anthony Ellul, Simone Spiteri, Antonella Axisa, Victor Debono, Philip Leone Ganado, Jean Marc Cafà and Raquel Theuma.
Tickets for An Enemy of the People start at just €15 and can be purchased from www.bluebox.com.mt. For more information, please call 7905 6558.
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