Maltese audiences simply love their home grown TV drama and this season, they will be pleased to know that another series is on its way to keep them company throughout winter. Josanne Cassar takes a sneak peak at 506

The writer: Mark Anthony Calleja

Is this the first script you’ve written for TV?

“No…actually I have been writing the drama parts for QalbinNies since October 2005. I was also the author of the series Marvin which was shown last year. Following its success, I was asked to write another 12 episodes for the coming schedule, hence Marvin – the second part.”

Can you tell me something about this new drama? What inspired you to write it, and where did the title 506 come from?

“506 (five o six) portrays the lives of seven teenage girls living together in a ‘home’ after their parents’ house no longer provided a good environment for them. Throughout the 13 episodes, the audience will be able to follow their experiences, all of which unfortunately reflect a bleak background as a result of sexual abuse, marital breakdown, domestic violence, criminal behaviour and death. The ‘home’ does not only offer the girls food and shelter but helps them to improve themselves and look at life with a positive attitude. Besides their own stories, one also needs to mention the internal dynamics and incidents that take place inside the home. Moreover, a parallel story starts to take place with the arrival of a new girl called Veronica. The story revolves around a number of characters who stumble upon a hidden secret from the past...a secret which was thought to be forgotten…a secret which was kept hidden between two people out of shame.

As an employee within the Media Centre, which is a Church-run organisation, I thought of writing a drama which would include a slice of life one does not often hear about. I wanted to convey a positive message. The drama depicts the girls as having few choices in life. The past has taught them to mistrust one another, to doubt themselves and others and to put pleasure and money on a higher value than love and happiness. However, despite their perception of themselves and society’s perception of them, the drama shows that in each girl there still is a space for her to love, to be loved and to grow and develop….the absence of values reflects the appreciation and beauty of human values at the same time.

As for the title 506…that will be known in the last episode!”

Was it difficult to find the right actors for the various roles?

“It is always difficult when it comes to find young actors to take main roles (in our case 15-17 years old). We had to do quite a number of auditions until we finally got what we wanted. As for the other characters it was less difficult but we still have invested a lot of time to find the right actors who could best fit into these roles.”

Is this the first time you’re working with Charles Stroud? How did you meet?

“Yes this is the first time that I’m working with Charles Stroud…we wanted a production house which could guarantee high quality results. 26th Frame’s past productions reflect such a quality. We contacted Charles Stroud and from there onwards we set the ball rolling…”

Is it difficult to see your work in the hands of someone else...? How do you feel if actors want to change lines from the script?

“It depends on the extent the person understands your writing…and it depends on how much the director believes in the story. The story needs to be loved by all the people involved. Its success is the total effort that they put into it. But first and foremost it implies a good relationship between one another including respect, understanding and belief in one another. As for the actors changing the lines of the script, I’m the type of person who believes in the actor interpreting the character I’ve created. I want the actor to be the character rather than imitating the character, so I believe in the creativity and ability of the actor performing the role. As long as the context remains I really am not bothered if actors change some words in order to become one with the character.”

The director:

Charles Stroud

Can you tell me what drew you to this story?

“This is a modern day story centered around the lives of a group of girls living in a home together with their carers. It is primarily about love and mutual understanding. Each girl has endured a different upbringing. Every situation is experienced from their own point of view. There are main storylines and side issues, love situations, scruples and vendettas to be carried out. A young girl passes from an orphanage to the girl’s home cared for by a scrupulous spinster who knows much more about the girl’s background than we can ever comprehend.

Stories from the past catch up with us where the link is the children themselves, the fruit of love and victims of circumstance.

Veronica the newcomer, Krista her friend and Emma the head carer hardly see eye to eye and all culminates in the homecoming of Leon, Krista’s brother. Veronica falls for him but she has to be got rid of, although we don’t know why.”

I believe this is the first time you’re working with The Media Centre...what made you take this decision?

“26th frame were approached by Victor Formosa from The Media Centre, to direct and edit their production, discussions were pursued and we are now looking after the technical production of “five-o-six. It’s a good story, a good opportunity, so why miss it?”

Your dramas always do well, both with the public and also with critics...what is the secret behind directing a good drama? How much direction do you give your actors, and how much do you allow them to be natural...?

“I have always been lucky in what I’ve produced. There have been some stories which were presented by other directors and I would have liked to produce.. but c’est la vie.

I always fell in love with scripts which eventually remain on my desk. Others were just filed away to collect dust or were returned to the authors. Yes I think that success with a production is a matter of living the drama experience to the full. It’s a full time job to concentrate and become one with each character and situation. You evolve and react to the circumstances and naturally feel if a scene is being interpreted in the correct manner or not. I feed the actors with as many feelings and character details as possible. They are capable of adjusting to the person’s life and reactions. With the background preparation which I usually go through, I can easily sense what is correct and what does not fit.

No, I never dictate or perform situations for the actor to copy. I encourage them to perform; this is done usually during read throughs and rehearsals and adjusted as we go along. Retakes of shots are also taken to establish different interpretations required. It’s a coordinated effort, there’s no “secret”. In this cloak and dagger local television scenario you cannot hold secrets. You just do what you do best and do it at your best.”

Can you tell me about the cast? Any new faces? Is it hard to find new talent or is there a lot to choose from?

“Many aspire. You try them out. Many fail. There are jewels among the coals. But these are too few and you should be always on the search for newcomers. I love working with good new faces. It’s always a new experience but yet you can always depend on a good old-timer. Besides, a known name or face is always an audience puller.”

Have you changed as a director over the years, in the techniques you use to get the best out of your actors, or have you always retained the same methods?

“Yes I guess I did change and hopefully will always keep on changing. Directing, like any other job, is always a continuous learning process. Even just by meeting new people, you learn something, working in different environments is always fresh, and yet the method of reproducing a narrative on a screen has hardly changed in a hundred years. The tools have changed, but the experience of living the lives of the personalities on the screen has remained. The ability to bridge the visual scenes on the screen and bring them into the lives of the viewer, always improves with each day of shooting. If you enjoy every moment of creativity together with the team in front of, and behind the camera lens, the enjoyment is naturally transmitted to the wider circle of drama lovers, the viewers.

I do hope that the whole scenario will evolve, as it is doing, but it is just taking too long. We are seeing local productions on the big screen but the buck stops there. Quality is definitely lacking. One should ask why are the serious production houses not attempting big screen local productions. We strive to improve standards and quality while the public out there pays for s***. The minister promises and is striving for improvement. MCAST invests in its students. Commissions plead for productions. Maybe tomorrow will be better. For the time being everyone at 26th frame is working to make “five-o-six” a better drama than the last one.”

The producer:

Victor Formosa

(Executive Coordinator TV Unit – Media Centre)

Way back in March 2003, the editorial board of TV Unit of the Archdiocese within the Media Centre had decided that one of the other production options we would embark on was TV drama. It is by far the most popular genre on Maltese TV and we felt it is a good medium for us to use for passing on the Christian message. I feel we did this extremely well with the series we produced entitled Ghada jisbah ukoll written by George Peresso. The first one had 26 episodes and aired between January and June 2004 while the second series had 16 episodes and ran between March and June 2006. In a Broadcasting Authority report on local television drama broadcast, Ghada jisbah ukoll, clearly showed that drama production and direction had taken a new course resulting in a tremendous improvement both in form as well as content. We are now continuing to capitalise on this.

Since that time, the TV Unit has also been producing short spots, mostly 30 seconds, as part of a national Campaign for Christian Values that are broadcast on TVM, ONE TV, NET TV and Education Channel 22. These focus on issues relevant to our society today. I believe that the ingredients for a successful production are basically three: a good working script, good artistic direction and good television direction. For us there is obviously the other important ingredient which is the Christian message we want to project. Before we decide to go ahead with the script, it is given a good read by various people. Once it is approved by the editorial board, work starts on costings and casting. The Unit itself does not have technical personnel or equipment so our productions are farmed out but we remain the Executive Producers of the Unit’s productions. Ghada jisbah ukoll was produced by Picture Box – MPS Ltd whilst FIVE06 is in the hands of 26th Frame with a script by Mark A. Calleja.

I believe this is the first time that TVM has slotted drama at 7pm. We see this new slot on a Sunday as a challenge but we are also confident that it will muster a considerable viewership. I assure you that the content is good and from what I have seen to date the production is great.

My role in all this is that of producer. In the industry, the producer is relied upon to control all aspects of the production and is expected to see the production through from concept to broadcast. Casting, choice of locations, strict control of budget and, obviously, overall quality are deemed to be his responsibility. As Executive Producers we are the originators or creators of the series and our role is that of an overseer of the production in that there are no twists and turns from the original concept.

Moira Muscat plays

Miss Emma

“I’m really happy about this role because I’m finally doing something in which I’m not a ‘goody goody’. Every character I play is different but I’ve always been cast in that miskina (poor thing) mould.

The last thing I did for TV was Kugini – and that too, was another completely different role, I was very punk and I felt a great sense of liberty because I managed to express all my feelings!

This is totally different – people have never seen me in this kind of role … I’m a bit cruel!

However, the character has become cruel because of the circumstances she has been through and her life experiences. It has been a challenge for me and fun to do… even when I’m playing the role, something I can’t even stand myself in.

When it came to playing Miss Emma, who is the director of the children’s home, I thought about a lot of things, her clothes, her hair, the colours she wears. I feel I have understood her background. After I met the writer, Mark Anthony, who described the character to me, I tried to imagine her developing into the person she is today. When I play her I’m visualising people I know who are similar, so even the characteristics and expressions remind me of others and even the way they dress and so on.

Miss Emma is the type of person who is well-groomed and very immaculate but not vain. So I won’t go to a hairdresser for example, her hair is very plain. She acts older than her age because she has matured before her time, whereas personally in real life, I am “younger” than her in my outlook.

I believe it is these details which will make the character believable. Making people believe in a character is always very important, but more so for TV because the series continues from week to week. So it is my job to make people think of me differently from the other roles I’ve done.

In TV drama, sometimes you can play roles that really affect people. I work at the social services department so I meet all sorts of people. One time a woman came to the office and at the time, I was playing a prostitute in Ipokriti. She told me ‘you are portraying my life’. That shocked me, because I had just begun doing TV at that time, and I suddenly realised how much responsibility I had. With every character I play, I have to be careful how to interpret it because people sometimes see themselves.

In Ingroppi and in Il-Familja Grech I played the role of the mother with family problems and I find people can relate a lot to these characters, and sometimes you can even influence them. And, of course, I get people who sometimes keep calling me by the name of the character instead of Moira. But I’m used to this.

This is the first time I’ve worked with Mark Anthony. He writes very good, colloquial Maltese which is very helpful for me as an actress. I had a very long speech at the beginning when we started filming, but it was so well-written that it was easy to learn.

As for the director, Charles Stroud – he’s a teddy bear! He’s very calm, although sometimes he does get tense, but on the whole, he manages to keep the atmosphere calm. He is simply a joy to work with. If he had to be temperamental it would affect all of us, so it’s important that the director stays calm. Before we start filming, we rehearse the scene, to get the right mood and tempo. Our cast is a mixture of newcomers and those with experience, and some of them don’t even have any training, but they are so natural and good in their part, that it’s really incredible.

The story is in a modern day setting, which I’m happy about. Although I enjoy doing period drama, it is much more difficult, because you have to be careful with the surroundings, the noise, the style of dress – there is a lot to keep in mind. For example, even the eyebrows, they cannot be too groomed for a period drama, and people tend to forget that. For TV you are so close up that these little details are crucial.

I attended MTADA and have been acting for 22 years. In my class at the time, there was Tonio Fenech (the Minister) and I remember they always used to cast us as sweethearts… which I find quite funny now.

I wish I had time to do more theatre, but it has to be either one or the other. In fact, I had to drop out of play because of this series. I have to juggle family and work, as well, so I have to prioritise. Last year, for example, I didn’t accept anything as I dedicated my time to my son who was sitting for his Junior Lyceum exams.

At the moment, I am also involved in a production of the Maltese adaptation of Scrooge.

I manage to cope with the help of my mother, my mother in law and a neighbour. My neighbour and I help each other out with the children. It’s like a jigsaw puzzle but we manage. Although it’s not financially rewarding, drama is so satisfying and luckily my husband (former TV director) Mark Vassallo understands how important it is for me, and how gratifying I find it.

Lara Azzopardi

plays Veronica

Do you think your experience in Gizelle helped you to be chosen for this new drama?

“Taking part in another TV drama is considered as a stepping stone in this area. Gizelle became quite popular and I guess I managed to reach good standards playing one of the main roles. As it was my first experience, I had to learn quickly, but I must say that being part of a good team taught me a lot and it has opened many doors in the field of acting.

Since then, I have been offered several roles, but I had to choose what would primarily fit into my personality following the role of young ‘experimental Christina’. I personally think that the character of Christina helped me to prepare for other roles as she had such vast issues and dramatic scenes in her life; it was certainly not plain sailing. I considered it to be a challenge.”

Is the role you play this time completely different?

“I don’t know how much I’m allowed to reveal but basically I will be playing a younger girl aged 17 who was brought up in an orphanage (again!), but her destiny leads her to an unexpected adventure based on her charisma and positive outlook towards life.

Once again, you will be involved in a drama which revolves around young girls and social problems, although perhaps this time it is more “realistic”. Is this what made you decide to accept the role?

“I accepted primarily because I wanted to learn more about acting by gaining new coaching from an experienced director. Every series makes you learn something new, meeting new people and forming new ideas in this field. The fact that the stories revolve around social problems appealed to me because I used to work as a nurse with girls in this type of environment.”

This drama aims to convey a message for positive values... How much do you think Maltese drama influences viewers at home?

“After the Gizelle experience, I realised that Maltese drama can be a strong influence on Maltese families, especially the younger generation. Christina was an idol for some; the type of life she led and her character made her someone whom girls looked up on. Due to the fact that this drama has a positive message it should make youths look at life in a positive way and appreciate the things life offers us.”

How is Charles Stroud different in his style of directing compared to other directors?

“He is very organised and he pampers us a bit too much which is good!”

Do you think Maltese audiences will “accept’ you in this new role, since you are so identified in their minds as “Christina” from Gizelle?

“Oh well that’s up to the audience now. I don’t know how they will react to my new role. My new name is ‘Veronica’, that’s all I have to say. All I can say is that I hope we will offer some good entertainment after people’s evening meals and after the weekend on cold winter days.”

506 will be aired on

PBS at 7pm starting Sunday 5 October