A truck load of carnival! Quite Literally. The national theatre's first date with the Maltese public is the traditional Qarċilla , souped up. This year's Qarċilla is a street show featuring fictional characters from Ħal-Kawlata, land of fruit and vegetables, travelling on a truck.

Teatru Malta teamed up with mad absurdist Jacob Piccinino, fresh from his Parisian experience at Jacques Lecoq institute, who brought together a team of young artists as mad as he is, working with poet Leanne Ellul to create a show worthy of the Qarċilla's long history.

In fact, the Qarċilla is the first theatrical text ever recorded in Maltese, dating back to 1760 by Dun Feliċ Demarco. Little did Dun Feliċ know that this would be happening again in the 21st century. Thefarcical charade of caricatures, colours and sounds will be visiting Valletta, Ħamrun, Victoria, Nadur and Għaxaq.

What makes this production even more quirky is that the international cast will be speaking Maltese in all sorts of accents, giving this historical event an interesting European Dimension. The live music embellishing the cheekily preposterous set by Jennings Falzon - solely made out of recycled materials - sprinkles some more excitement to this scrumptious production. So join us in trying to spot this truck full of fresh vegetables, join the crowd and meet Dun Tadama, Pomme De Terre, Warda Vjola, Bajtru and obviously L-Għarusa Karfusa ; the very inspiration behind this year's Qarċilla.

"We are extremely excited to be Teatru Malta's first production, and honoured to take on a project with such a long local history. The cast is having a blast and so will our audience," comments Jacob Piccinino, who devised and directed the piece for Teatru Malta.

More details can be found on www.teatrumalta.org.mt. The Qarċilla is supported by Festivals Malta and the Ministry of Gozo; and is part of the National Carnival Festivities.