It was a cool Wednesday evening in September when I finally brought little Adam 'Dash' Bonnici into the world. The son of parents who met through dancing Argentine Tango, he made his big entrance at a time when a dancing show was airing on television. In that, he follows in his actress mother's footsteps, who was allegedly born during an episode of Fame (my siblings never forgave me).

Until he was born, I had been working as a professional actress in the UK, and later in Malta, with regular roles on stage and screen. I hadn't thought a lot about parenthood, and especially about how it would combine with the work. Of course, meeting my husband, getting married, and learning we were expecting just a few months later soon brought the question to the very front of my mind.

I had recently been offered - and accepted - a main role in another MADC Shakespeare production, but had to turn it down as making the character heavily pregnant couldn't work, not to mention the risks and logistical problems of being only weeks away from giving birth during the performances.

Therefore, apart from some voiceover work, there was little else I could do as an actress while pregnant, so I was counting down the days until I could take part in my first show following the baby's birth.

After a hiatus of over a year, I am ready indeed to be treading the boards once again, and that opportunity has arrived with the role of Baptista in the upcoming MADC production of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, which will be performed next month.

Naturally, there was somebody new to add to the mix now: my nine-month-old baby boy, Adam, who we nicknamed Dash on account of his endlessly dashing-away legs. While I have the advantage of added flexibility in terms of time, I also have a very small, very high maintenance entourage of one to consider.

A condition of my accepting the role in The Taming of the Shrew was that sometimes I would need to bring Dash with me to rehearsals, when it wasn't possible for him to be cared for by my hugely-supportive husband or mother-in-law. The company's response to that proviso has been universally patient, understanding and encouraging. It helps, of course, that I am by no means the first person in the company to become a parent - this is very much a theatre family created from families.

Working with Polly March as director, too, is a lovely way to come back to acting. She works in my favourite way: through actioning the text. The rehearsal process starts with a few weeks of table-work, where cast members sit and study the text, discuss what is really happening in the scene and employ a method known as 'actioning' to define each character's individual intentions in that moment.

It is this study into human psychology, the detailed discussion of what makes a character do or say what she does, that has always fascinated me, and perhaps even inspired me to pursue acting as a career in the first place. To be able to work in this way in my first production as an actress after becoming a parent is a treat indeed.

Meanwhile, including my son in rehearsals is hugely beneficial for him too: he gets a peek into the working life of one of his parents, he is shown different people, places, colours and sounds, he can see creativity and discipline side by side, and he has a front-row seat to watch some live performance in rehearsal. For someone who is not yet a year old, that is quite an achievement!

Of course, as he is now regarded an unofficial MADC mascot and is thoroughly spoiled by everyone in the cast and crew! We're both part of the family, after all.

'The Taming of the Shrew' will take place at San Anton Gardens in Attard from 14 to 23 July. Tickets are available online at www.madc.com.mt