L-AVVIŻI – APRIL

Spring is upon us and something that everyone should be excited about apart from all their leftover figolli and easter eggs is applying for this year’s edition of Klassi tas-Surmast. The masterclass had to be postponed last year due to the C-word we’d rather not mention but this year we can finally confirm that we are back (and with a bang at that), because our guests of honour are none other than the incomparable Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod from Cheek by Jowl!

Since it was founded in 1981, Cheek by Jowl has established an international reputation for bringing fresh life to the classics using intense and vivid performances. This Masterclass will be taking place in Gozo and will be open to a limited number of applicants due to the pandemic and restrictions prohibiting large groups. Please make sure to visit our website to check out our application forms and apply for this unique opportunity  before the deadline’s up at the end of this month. 

After the European Theatre Commission’s Executive Director Heidi Wiley announced the special news on World Theatre Day, we are very happy to announce that Teatru Malta will be hosting the 2021 edition of the European Theatre Convention in Malta this Autumn between the 28th and the 31st of October 2021 in collaboration with Arts Council Malta, Spazju Kreattiv and Teatru Manoel. Apart from this being a first for our local sector, hosting the ETC on our shores means that we are opening up the conversation about culture and theatre to national theatre representatives from all over Europe. This is also a golden opportunity to showcase any local productions that will be taking place during the 28th and 31st of October 2021 to the same European cultural entities, which is why we are calling on the general public to inform us of any plans to stage shows during this time by emailing contact@teatrumalta.org.mt  in order to be in the chance to form part of our official delegates programme of events. 

In March we also announced the titles of the productions we will be producing next year, all of which are currently being developed and researched together with the artists who will either be directing, choreographing, writing or producing them. Our team are currently working very closely with our collaborating artists to ensure that next year’s shows go off without a hitch. We honestly can’t wait to see all this work come to life on stage. The decision to go into R&D was certainly not one we took lightly or made easily, as we clearly expressed when we went public with out decision last month. Each of these r&d phases will also be very well documented so keep your eyes out for our socials to watch what’s going on behind our metaphorically closed doors as the rest of this year unfolds. Speaking of which we’ll be releasing an audition call for one of these productions in the coming days so stay tuned!

Lastly all educators need to be reminded to check MEDE’s News Break on Monday 19th April, as we are sending out all the performance links for this year’s edition of Trikki Trakki. If any teachers have any questions please get in touch. Whatever you do, don’t miss out on watching these talented students overcome lockdown obstacles in the name of theatre and for the love of #TrikkiTrakki! These full performances are exclusively available to schools, however please watch our highlights reel here to get a better taste of this year’s festival.