I have been involved in the entertainment industry for the last 30 odd years and I have been to many hotels, theatres and other venues where they have been designed to correspond to the architect’s philosophy.

Not getting into the argument if Renzo Piano is a great architect or not, I simply can point out that when stages are designed they are not really designed well as they lack the necessary basic points, whether it concerns the backstage area, lights, sound, flaps, curtain and other very important things such as the type of floor that the stage shall have.

I even worked in a very top location that had just a couple of wall sockets where I had to install the sound system.

I even co-designed the Theatre at the ex-Medserv (Manoel Island) with the latest technology then available and this was in 200 or 300 year old building.

In my opinion architects, being architects, do not understand the complexities found when designing a theatre, especially when this theatre is a part of a major group of works.

I don't think that experienced stagehands, artists and musicians were consulted with over the plans and it shows in the Piano design.

I am not sure about how perfect the acoustics will be, especially when the design includes of a roofless theatre.

I am also unsure as to what shall happen if it is a rainy, windy or scorching hot day, and how one can manage a production or performance in such conditions.

Also, I not convinced that the budget would be kept and the project would be delivered on time, especially when the present Government is involved (cases in point are mainly the Delimara Power Station and Mater Dei).

There is also a great chance that a performance can be marred by outside noise.

There might be a danger of electrocution if microphones, electric guitars and the like are used in the performance.

In other words, I don’t know if any consideration was taken to safety regulations, which are a must in the theatre.

Perhaps someone who is in total favour of this vain project would enlighten us about the real and basic know how on these important matters.

People like us were totally excluded and to add insult to injury the PM said that we are going to pay for it. Now that is a clear example of democracy!

Of course those who approve this design will start to call us names and ridicule our hard, real and factual opinions. It might be (most probably) that they do not have the faintest idea what a stage/theatre is all about.

Philip Pace

St.Venera