As Malta’s culture sector was hit hard by the pandemic, playwright and theatre director Herman Grech took to Facebook to voice his concerns.

While the culture minister said that “business is not in the IQ of artists” and protests emerged, the artistic sector has continued to suffer throughout the almost two years of COVID-19 regulations.

“This is soon going to spell the death knell of an industry we can ill-afford to lose,” Grech said about the current regulations theatres have to adhere to.

Grech, who is also the editor of the Times of Malta, posted a photo of Spazju Kreattiv, which currently faces the toughest restrictions of all sectors – just like other theatres.

With uninviting warning tape blocking most of the seats, the theatre doesn’t allow for any sense of community and seriously limits the number of people who can actually attend.

Grech said he walked out of the theatre and into the city, “where thousands of people mingled in restaurants and bars, shops and street corners”.

And while he acknowledged that COVID-19 is not going away and that certain measures will have to remain in place, he speaks up about the way the cultural sector is completely left hanging.

“Just because artists don’t scream and make threats (and don’t have the money like other professionals), doesn’t mean they should perform in theatres akin to a crime scene (which was cleverly adapted by the producers of the play),” he said.