Maltese actor Ivan de Battista (photo) will be taking part in the third Les Eurotopiques, European Theatrical Projects Festival.

At the festival, organised by La Virgule – Centre Transfrontalier de Création Théâtrale and running from 4 to 9 June, 10 theatre companies from all over Europe will gather to present staged readings of their theatrical projects.

The theme chosen this year will be Lie(s).

Ivan de Battista will present Mentior Cum Amori on Thursday, 5 June at 7pm at the Maison Folie – Hospice d’Havré, on the Rue de Tournai in Tourcoing. Mentior Cum Amori was written by Christabel Catania, the project is presented by Ivan de Battista, it is produced by Imagin-Arts of Gzira and the artistic team is comprised of Ivan de Battista, Simone Carmen de Battista, Christabel Catania and Renato Vella. It will be in Maltese with French over-titles.

The story is of Sophie and Jean, expectant parents of a long-awaited baby, who go to the hospital. Jean claims that he has to undergo some tests, but actually there are complications with Sophie’s pregnancy, which might even have to be interrupted. A Maltese actor trained at Trinity College in London, Ivan de Battista works in Malta in various disciplines of the performing arts. He has played in many theatrical, musical and television productions, for which he has consistently won awards.

He is also a composer and songwriter, and the author of several books. To develop his activities, he founded Imagin-Arts Entertainment in 2002 and created a training course in acting for the theatre in 2010.