Tell us a bit about your experience in the theatre...

My life in theatre spans 40 plus years, but I shall try to give a brief history. I fell into the scene quite by accident when I was 19.  I loved it and knew I wanted to do more.  Apparently, I had an innate sense of comic timing, so for many – far too many – years, I was only cast in comedies. Then came Pantomime and Principal Boy roles… and I was home – or so I thought… until I tried my hand at directing. 

My play won the Best Production and Best Director awards at the MADC One-Act Play Festival and I realised I was not home yet… this was more what I wanted to do. Shortly after that, I was thrown into the deep end – directing Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the Manoel Theatre. But then came offers for more plum roles in what we call straight plays (not comedy), and even Shakespeare!

These, of course, contributed immensely to expanding my repertoire and experience, so directing was put on the back burner for a while. Not one to be daunted by challenges, I then proceeded to direct the musical La Cages aux Folles – a memorable production in many ways – and then more plays and finally, even Panto.  Nowadays, I tend to choose directing over acting.  I think directing an opera at our National Theatre could very well be the ultimate experience in my journey.

What has been your experience with opera over the years?

If truth be told, I’m not exactly what one would call an opera aficionado.  However, my father was very passionate about this genre and as I grew up, classical music and operas permeated the household and became part of the daily background sounds. They became integrated as part of my education, I hardly had a choice. I have never been in an opera, but I have seen a few – albeit the more familiar ones.

Are you pleased that the Festival has taken this direction – including adding more elements from Malta’s theatre scene?

I’m always pleased when the expression ‘theatre scene’ is expanded to include elements other than plays. Although, admittedly, there are more drama productions in Malta than any other genre, it is encouraging to see alternate forms of theatrical work being brought to the limelight, pun intended.  Opera is considered a major form of cultural expression and yet it struggles to stay alive when competing against modern entertainment

What makes Cavalleria Rusticana an opera worth watching?

The characters in Cavalleri Rusticana are normal, everyday people we can relate to, with emotions common to us all – love, passion, jealousy and, yes, even vendetta. The setting is a Mediterranean island and that is another factor that is very close to home, and I have tried to bring it even closer!  Furthermore, it is an opera in one act, so a good initiation for anyone who still has to explore this art form and acquire a taste to learn to appreciate it.

How are rehearsals going, in the light of the fact that many performers are not based here?

Rehearsals have not been easy. Every step had to be prepared in advance, including most of the blocking, i.e. I had most of the stage directions detailed on paper, prior to the arrival of the singers. The soloists arrived on different dates as of late February, so I could only rehearse selected arias with the singers who happened to be present at any one time.  I did not have all the lead singers until 3 March and a full cast only by the ninth. 

On top of that, we had to adhere to strict union rules regarding rehearsal times: so you can just imagine how much work we had to put into a very limited period of time. Thankfully, I work well under pressure.

What are you planning to bring to your production of the opera?

Being a one-act opera, Cavalleria Rusticana is nearly always performed as a double bill with Pagliacci, which is being directed by Denise Mulholland. To some extent, we are working with the same set, cleverly designed by Pierre Portelli, and as such, some compromise had to be made, someone had to pull the reins on excessive creativity, but we are both very pleased with the outcome. We have also played with the passage of time – dawn to noon and evening to night – the span of what could be 24 hours… with about 60 years in between! It has, therefore, been more of a collaboration to create a contrast – a chiaro-scuro effect, if you wish. We have ensured that we satisfy the palate of any discerning member of the audience.

The annual Teatru Manoel BOV Performing Arts Festival has established itself as one of the most anticipated events in Malta’s cultural and operatic calendar and this year includes three major productions.

The first is this season’s opera which is a double-bill featuring Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci from Thursday 14 March to Sunday 17 March. The cast includes both local and foreign performers and, for the first time, this will be a predominantly Maltese production with locally-based directors Denise Mulholland (directing Pagliacci) and Nanette Brimmer (directing Cavalleria Rusticana) and set designer Pierre Portelli. The Music Director will be Damiano Binetti.

The second event is the much anticipated show from MNOZIL Brass Band on Friday 3 May. Since 1996 the seven musicians of MNOZIL Brass have been giving regular concerts all over the world at prestigious venues such as the Musikverien Wien, the KKL Luzern, the Royal Albert Hall and Burgtheater Vienna among others. They are a brass ensemble with a difference mixing great comedy and fantastic musicianship.

The third event of the Festival is the Lieder Recital on Tuesday 7 May. This features Malta’s very own Gillian Zammit, an established soprano both in Malta and overseas with an operatic repertoire that ranges from Baroque to 20th Century Opera. She will be accompanied on the piano by Lucia Micallef.

There will be a pre-performance talk before the operas in March and the Lieder Recital in May. The talks provide an insight into the programme of that evening and are part of the Toi Toi Education Programme which is supported by BOV.

Booking for all three events of the Teatru Manoel BOV Performing Arts Festival can be made online www.teatrumanoel.com.mt, by email [email protected] or by phoning 2124 6389