For a man who is officially retired Tony Cassar Darien has a lot on his plate and even more on his mind. He has a lot to say about everything; from the way buildings keep sprouting up all over the island to the factors mitigating against creativity in the performing arts. Interview by Maria Giuliana Fenech

In later years Tony Cassar Darien’s name became synonymous with the Manoel, Malta’s National Theatre. He says that it is “national” by public acclamation; there is neither any form of protocol, nor mission statement nor legal status, governing the Manoel; however, he opines that Vilhena’s slogan still prominently displayed over its portico is clear: For the honest recreation of the people… Contrary to what happens in most European and American theatres where state control still holds sway, and the venue is run by trustees, locally, the artistic and business management is in the hands of an appointed chairman and a committee. This is far from ideal, and of course much depends on the quality of the appointees, and the chemistry binding them with the staff. Undue political reliance is generally at its worst when the chairman and the committee are not up to it and consequently insecure about taking initiatives. Unfortunately, with things theatrical the negative effect of any administrative blunder surfaces some two to three years later. When it is well nigh impossible to rectify.

Asked to comment on his appointments, first as general manager, and later as the national’s first ever artistic director, Cassar Darien’s initial reaction is to pay tribute to the many “good” people with whom he had had the good fortune “to dream the beautiful dream”. John Lowell, Michael Laus, Albert Agius Ferrante, Josephine Burns Debono, Paul Asciak, Cecilia Xuereb, Lino Gatt, Joseph Vella Bondin, Andrew Sapiano and others, would perhaps not have won any of the popularity contests but their artistic souls were in the right place. “John Lowell and I were soul-mates; people actually referred to us as id-di u d-do. Apart from Agius Ferrante, few chairmen ever, or since, thought “big” for the Manoel. Suffice it to say that whereas the Manoel, before the nineties, was only accessible from just two doors, its administration from Old Mint Street and the auditorium from Old Theatre Street, as from 1992, it had opened a total of six doors and the target was to have all its 11 doors widely accessible 24/7! – the temple of culture that would not sleep! It was the time of a great physical change as the dullish Old Mint Street set-up was skilfully exchanged for the splendour of the buildings in Old Bakery Street as the wondrous courtyard, the picturesque Sala Isouard, the sumptuous restaurant, the booking offices, the shop, the Museum all flowered into the Valletta landscape.

“The old Dickensenian offices were, in 2001, transformed into state of the art living quarters mainly reserved for the artists who plied their art at the Manoel. Surely one of the most unsung operations of the time, which seemed so difficult for all and sundry to comprehend, was the hydraulic raising and lowering of the pit platform. I do not think that any other theatre in the world, no, make it even any other building world-wide; has a funnier story to relate or a more apt memorial to local bureaucracy! Oh yes, that moveable stage certainly enabled our meagre backstage staff to cope with a sackful of events in a manner which our foreign colleagues found astonishing to fathom.

“We also got a great kick out of the fringe programmes aimed at niche audiences, like Windows-on-Music, PoezijaPlus, LoggaPalk; TheatreTalk, the Spotlight-On…Festivals, The Cultural Weeks dedicated to the culture of a specific country etc. We even insisted on some theatrical element to be present during the Visual Arts’ Exhibitions held at the Loggia or Sala Isouard. We prided ourselves with our unique brand of theatricality.

Of course during the 1990s and the earlier part of this decade, under the Lowell-Cassar Darien tandem, the Manoel’s programmes had hit a veritable high. Renowned musical celebrities, the likes of Accardo, Uto Ughi, Evelyn Glennie, all those incredible pianists, ensembles, wonderful dancers, together with institutions like The English National Theatre, Cheek by Jowl, the Comedie Francaise etc, the Manoel’s programme sported the elite performers who graced the world’s premiere venues. As a matter of fact, expressions like “cultural tourism”, “branding” and others, came about as part of the need to “internationalise” Malta’s national theatre.

Tony Cassar Darien attributes the ups and downs of theatre–life, not to destiny, fortune or the “State of Denmark”, as it might perhaps be the easier way in which to pass off the proverbial buck. In his book, those in administration must show the same amount of passion and creativity as the very same artists who walk the boards! “Enthusiasm is derived from the Greek, and means: a gift from the gods; so no, its not in one’s DNA, …Passion unfortunately, cannot be taken for granted, but it is what constitutes the difference between success and an indifferent production!” Regarding creativity Cassar Darien has been talking and writing for quite a number of years now because he feels very deeply about the subject. Basically, he regards it as the golden key to the island’s future. He also thinks that there are many factors, which mitigate against creativity in Malta.

“Malta came late to the idea of state aided theatre. Of course the Knights and the British organised events but it was mainly for their own private patronage. The Arts were not officially seen as beneficial for the well-being of the natives. Actually, it was Dom Mintoff who, in 1958, started the ball rolling, when on behalf of his government, in a move which historians have noted as “going against the grain” in the order of priorities of the time, the Labour government, acquired the Manoel Theatre from the Gollcher Foundation and went about the not so easy job of refurbishing it.

“In my opinion we still have not got the Culture Act right. Our cultural institutions and all the invariable mission statements, from the very outset, tend to sound apologetic. The relationship between public and private patronage remains largely undefined and our agenda of the Arts’ never caters for the longer term. Any planning pertaining to the Arts is dependent on the immediate financial returns, and only concerned with what the public wants now - not on what it might want over a period of say five to 10 years. Same as to what is happening in the broadcasting arena, much of our arts’ management is concentrating on easily digestible, uncontroversial, ego-massaging, audience ingratiating trifles.

“Where the arts are concerned we do not subscribe to the idea of continuity or a strategy based on guaranteeing some form of permanence. And of course it shows in Malta’s constant unattractive placings on the EU list of “innovations”. Politicians always seem to want to exploit the arts’ scene for their personal showcase rather than attempt to build durable bridges with free passage for traffic in both directions, between the past and the present. I also believe that a strong strategy for the Arts’ is a matter which has lots to do with the national identity.

“All our institutions, including those responsible for performances, are run by laborious committees, which is in effect the blue-print for the halting of progress. Nothing adventurously exciting gets done that way. Knowing music and making music are separate occupations. It’s like a man who knows the way but cannot drive the car. In Europe and America, wherever the State is still holding on to the management of venues there are four trustees whose main occupation is to safeguard the finances. They appoint their artistic director who builds up his team and gets on with it. Kudos for all if it works and swift farewells if it does not. Curiously we are lately witnessing the State resorting to the private entertainment agencies whilst ignoring its very own cultural set-ups. Sowing more seeds of fragmentation? And who benefits when our cultural institutions get progressively weaker?

“I mention again the late Prof. Guze Aquilina lamenting on the then developing chasm between the “old” and the “new” writers since I possess personal letters from Francis Ebejer in which he decries the prevalence of the “little knowledge” syndrome. According to the late literary icon, this invariably results in the kind of opportunism that is hallmarked by arrogance. As a result much of the stuff that is produced is recycled from overseas sources when mimicry is very often mistaken for

originality.

“Sadly there is also no cultural debate. It is simply non-existent. All the media content; from publications to radio to TV; read, look, and sound, like family albums. In the rare event that one tries to infuse some sense of healthy comment into the fray the issue is immediately personalised and the matter forever silenced. My feeling is that editors are only happy when editing political copy!

“Perhaps we need to calmly rethink the whole arts’ situation. It’s not going to be simple. The vast majority of local artists are entrenched in politics and always striving to lick the hand that feeds them. No wonder that, locally, the artist is then sidelined when it comes to the crunch. The artist is conspicuous by his absence when vital questions are being asked. What are we producing? What are we teaching our children? To perform for their grandpar-ents? Why are we using the same techniques that have failed our generation? The arts are totally marginalised and that is our failure. Rather than tackling the issues in a profound manner we pay the spinners to continuously shift the goalposts and thus keep the game interesting for the spectators.”

Tony Cassar Darien also has a very interesting opinion on Malta’s prehistoric role in the arts. He believes that Malta, with its high temple density must have once been the centre of ritual, and that dance and music are part and parcel of any form of ritual. He has published papers opining how all these temples must have utilised residential artists, who in turn, developed their very own artistic niches. He hopes that more local research is effected on this and other similar lines of thought. University theses, in his opinion, should emphasise more on the local aspect of the arts rather than dwell on foreign topics upon which there already exists abundant literature.

“I believe this will help convince the Maltese that we are truly an artistic nation. We have inherited a view that makes us believe that we are dependant on forces beyond our control. This view is very restrictive. I believe that now there is more interest in things Maltese but unfortunately there isn’t enough of the right organisation to package them intelligently. Here I must commend the great work undertaken by APS Bank’s Lino Delia, Patrimonju’s Maurice Degiorgio, and I am sure there are others…

About Australia, another great favourite of his, he says: “Artistically Australia has done marvellously and all in such an incredibly short time. Opera, dance, theatre and the Australian Film industry in particular, its almost like in a fairy tale! I saw it all happening through NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art). I have known John Clark, its director, since the sixties. Of course I have been influenced by him. His artistry is so humane, so honest, so real. It is the very opposite of all that’s sensational and gimmicky. To give you an example the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the Sydney Olympics were planned and directed by the students of NIDA! And there was not one single professional artist taking part... John’s dreamboat exploded in the nineties with the graduation of the likes of Mel Gibson, Cate Blanchett, Buz Luhrmann, Colin Friels, John Howard well, the list is endless... Moreover this artistic jewel box created directors, designers, craftspeople, administrators ... enough to infiltrate the performing arts’ and gain the respect of the American movie industry.

“I also have many friends amongst the Maltese migrants and love helping out whenever requested by the Australian-Maltese Chamber and other bodies or individuals. Its good to see so many Maltese names making it in the Arts’. For example the Award for the Best Comedian on TV last year went to Vince Micallef with Pauly Mintoff as the runner-up. It was great fun taking the Carmelo Pace opera I Martiri and staging it so successfully. Besides the celebrity cast which took part like tenor Robert Bickerstaff (who studied with Antoinette Miggiani) and soprano Shu-Cheen Yu from the Beijing Opera Company. It was good to work with the likes of Amelia Farrugia (current star of Glyndebourne Opera who records for the Decca label) and Victoria Jacono, first violinist of the Sydney Philharmonic.”

Like most people Tony Cassar Darien has an opinion about the site where once stood the Opera House. He says, “Firstly, all the genuinely good souls I know have come to instinctively abhor the word “building”. Locally, any empty space seems to be only capable of feeding our mania for building-up-yet-more-spaces, which more often than not result, in the perverse uglification of the environment. Secondly, the government must hold scores of reports dealing with the non-feasibility, and the sheer non-sustainability, of a grand Opera House.

“Conscious of these salient facts and embarrassed by that prevailing black hole smack at the entrance of our capital city the then Chairman of the Manoel Theatre, Ambassador John Lowell had handed the Culture Ministry detailed plans and drawings for turning the abandoned site into a splendid open air theatrical garden space. Through Architectural Project we had proposed a venue which whilst respecting the past was geared to serve the future. A pleasant green area by day it could easily be transformed into a theatrical venue by night, all the while oozing out a people-friendly ambiance. Besides sporting ample fantasy and imagination, linking the past with the present, those designs are very doable and cost next to nothing to actuate. Incidentally, before anything is done I suggest that a thorough historical course about the site and what it stood for is given to all those concerned with its refurbishment”

And what does the officially-retired Tony Cassar Darien do now? “I help out on a part-time basis with St Sophie’s Theatre, the Sacred Heart Convent’s place in St Julians. It is a beautifully crafted space, with no parking problems, that’s amenable to audiences; and also very performer friendly. Hopefully, we will soon be putting our own shows, in fact we are finalising a series of so-called The Heart-To-Heart Lecture Series and the three-part musical happening called Bob plays Weatherburn. And then I’m involved on a number of projects on a consultancy basis … never a dull moment I can assure you.

Part I of this interview was published last Monday