Maltese Directors And Actors Speak On Theatre’s Future: ‘We Need To Stop Acting Like Hobbyists’
Although theatre dates back millennia, it often tends to get completely deprioritized by those in power, the education system and the media.
As director Chris Gatt explained, “the arts are there to challenge and ask questions, not to provide answers” while our education system “gives you the answer before you even knew there was a question to being with”.
However, is there even space for risk-taking and innovation in theatre, when the funding is limited, the actors severely underpaid, and most of society only looking for quick and cheap entertainment like Netflix anyway?
Lovin Malta reached out to five top directors and actors on the island; here is everything they had to say about the future of the theatre:
1. Christopher Gatt
Gatt is one of the most prominent directors on the island, with projects such as Mamma Mia, Sound of Music, Siġra f’Nofs ta’ Triq, and Twelfth Night coming up.
”I know I’m going to get a lot of flak for this, but the reality is that our education system does not value the arts, it does not value creativity, it values parrot talk, and note-taking,” the director exclaimed when addressing issues which may stem from schools.
”That art space is not properly curated, you do not have people who understand both the role of journalism, as well as of curating and explaining what is happening, on the island. So we have a problem that we have a community of theatre-makers, but we don’t have a community of theatre-receivers. Audiences that are ready to take up what is being created. This is very worrying.”
”That’s when the questions pop up of what is the relevance of what is being shown.”
When asked who to look out for in the industry, Gatt replied by saying, ”I’m not going to mention names. But we should look in unlikely places. That’s where the future lies. People who are ambitious enough to go out of the way to try new things to experiment, and those usually happens in the most unlikely of places. Whether it is a nightclub or whether it is a garage or whether it is out in some little village hall, that’s where we need to start looking”.
”We need to demand respect. We need to stop letting others call the shots, especially when these people are not qualified, you know, and this goes from the minister downwards. We need to insist that culture is not the Cinderella of the ministries.”
“Neither is it an also-ran plonked in with a whole bunch of other stuff. Culture is the very soul of the country, but we need to stop acting like hobbyists. We need to take ourselves seriously. We need to take our criticism seriously.”
2. Malcolm Galea
Galea is a local director and actor, who works with More or Less Theatre. Some of his productions have included the recent Ċikku and the Chocolate Panto, and Caravaggio – the Musical.
More or Less Theatre has released a new type of theatre project called It Happened Here which is basically a mobile phone game that is downloaded for free and played in real-time by walking around Senglea and listening to the story unfold depending on your location. It’s a first of its kind.
”I’d say that theatre needs to become more sustainable and less dependent on public funding. So far there are two private theatres already that regularly stage mainstream shows (Blue Box in Msida and Theatre Next Door in Magħtab) and more are required,” he said.
”It’s become fairly uncommon to see a mainstream show that’s not co-produced by a public venue or doesn’t benefit from government funding, I wish there were more shows being staged without having to depend on government funds,” Galea exclaimed.
”There’s some great work being staged and the quality is improving fairly consistently. Having said that, there’s the occasional terrible theatre production that’s staged every now and again but that’s a healthy symptom of an experimental and vibrant theatre community. This keeps theatre makers continuously trying harder.”
3. Simone Spiteri
Spiteri is one of Malta’s most talented playwrights, having set up her own theatre company, in 2004, called Dù. She teaches adolescents, both at the University of Malta and Studio 18. Spiteri has also published two history text books with Merlin Publications.
”I feel there’s a new-found enthusiasm that can only lead to good things. There’s an appetite for experimentation which in my book is always the best thing to hope for and I’ve noticed that some of the most exciting pieces in the last year or so have been predominantly in Maltese. That makes me very happy.”
”I also think that sometimes there is this mentality that unless we throw money at an idea or challenge then the piece is not worth it or not doable and many people throw in the towel immediately.”
”That is not very conducive to creative growth either and sometimes it’s the challenges that push you to figure out cleverer and more creative solutions. It’s about finding the balance between having funding but not relying blindly on it.”
When asked about what’s the next necessary step for the theatre scene to grow, Spiteri replied by saying, ”an infrastructure that runs smoothly, in which artists don’t have to constantly explain, justify and waste precious time to get what in other professions would be considered to be the obvious necessity”.
4. Joseph Zammit
The actor has just recently played the role of Willy Wonder in the Christmas Panto. He also formed part of the cast of Romeo and Juliet, in 2022, directed by Philip Leone-Ganado, as well as MANY other productions throughout the years.
”If an actor had to divide their pay to let you know how much they got paid per hour for their work however, not only is it laughable, but worrying. We don’t even come close to minimum wage, and as long as that remains, the theatre will stagnate as people will never even consider it as a viable option,” he said whilst speaking on the actor’s pay.
”The next crucial step would be for the workers and actors in particular to be treated and paid as professionals, and this comes from the producers and event organisers mostly. Other aspects of the arts are paid as a job, with a proper contract with a fixed rate per hour. Musicians have it, many dance companies do as well, as do backstage and stagehands.”
”I would currently describe the theatre scene as someone trying to get back up on their knees after a heavy beat-down. The theatre scene had been steadily improving in both its pool of talent and professionals and also in the audience’s general view. However, the pandemic and political people, both in theatre and film, were unfortunately both hits that, in my opinion, threw the scene back several years.”
5. Denise Mulholland
Mulholland directed It-Teatru tal-Miskin, a fantastic musical which recently got a lot of attention. She is currently working for he next project, and will be acting in ‘In Other Words’ in February. She’s also part of a theatre collective called The Shrinking Violets who ”tend to be drawn to smaller, less commercial projects which we find artistically interesting.”
”Only a small percentage of the Maltese population attends theatre regularly. Herein lies a potential challenge for theatre makers: producers rely heavily on revenue generated by ticket sales, so the choice of project has to take into account the ‘sellability’ of the piece,” Mullholland claimed.
”I love how energised and active the theatre scene is – there is such a lot going on – but we do face the issue of saturation in terms of audiences. The cost-of-living crisis is affecting everyone, and people simply don’t have the disposable income (or time in some cases) to watch all the shows they would like to watch. I think this will have an effect on theatre in the coming year.”
”There is never enough funding, but that is a global issue where the arts are concerned. Each production takes months if not years to prepare and conceive, that’s a long time to devote to a project with no payment. I also feel this can foster the hobby-ist opinion of artists which can be very frustrating. I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve been asked what my ‘real job’ is.”
”I would say the theatre scene needs to grow in a way which protects artists and supports creative and challenging work. That means more practical help. Rehearsal spaces, subsidised venue hire, access to technical support, increased funding to enable research and development phases – they would all be hugely beneficial.”
”It’s not just about ‘growing’ the scene, it’s about growing it in a way which nurtures and supports artists, whilst maintaining quality work.”
2023 looks like a promising year for the industry, with many productions in the works – here is a list curated by Malcolm Galea.
The theatre industry is growing, and many are working hard for its flourishment.
Audiences and performers share the same space. Many shows have demonstrated that this shared space need not be limited by geography, but by the understanding between the performer: you’re here and I need you – and the audience: we are here and we need you.
What show are you excited to go watch?
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