The play Le Momo takes its starting point from the life and work of Antonin Artaud, but goes beyond this. A revolutionary figure in the literary avant garde of post-World War I France, Antonin Artaud (1896-1948) remains one of the most significant and influential theorists of modern theatre.

Primarily a writer, the work of this remarkable man includes poetry, prose, plays, letters and essays on film, theatre, art and literature. His manifestos on The Theatre of Cruelty offer a vivid indication of theatre’s purifying potential. Artaud was a leading figure in the surrealist movement and despite a divergence of opinions remained a surrealist all his life, devoting his time to the study of human physical presence and its relation to creativity.

Le Momo does not attempt to produce a biography of Artaud. The performance is, in fact, divided into a number of scenes, each of which covers an aspect of or a moment in Artaud’s life – his interest in mysticism, struggles with the status quo, asylum stays and death. All the performers (Stephen Apap, Zhang Ruonan, Daniel Azzopardi, Clare Ghigo and Stephanie Cachia Camilleri) are university students and first encountered Artaud and his texts during their studies. The performance is directed by Stefan Aquilina, visiting lecturer at the University of Malta, who is assisted by Dustin Paul Gauchi.

The first performance of Le Momo took place yesterday at the Pjazetta Dun Karm on the University Campus. There are further performances today and tomorrow, starting at 8.30pm. Tickets can be bought from any Agenda bookshop or at the door. It is staged in collaboration with Koperattiva Kulturali Universitarja, and forms part of Evenings of Campus 2007.