A gentleman, the embodiment of the bourgeois standards imposed on art, comes searching for the ultimate performance. What he finds instead, in the guise of the colourful, stylised characters of ‘Commedia dell'Arte’, is a group of performers whose repression by a culturally sterile society has translated their comic tradition into a tragic reality. The presence of the spectator, unwitting symbol of the oppressor, provokes the troupe to commit an act of violence...
Iġsma Iħirsa by Oreste Calleja will be the first production by Alumni Stage Troupe, the theatre company of the Malta School of Drama and Dance consisting of former and present students and educators of the school since its foundation in 1977 as the Manoel Theatre Academy of Performing Arts (Mtada).
The main objective of Alumni Stage Troupe is to serve as a showcase for students of the school as well as an inspiration towards excellence in performance for the same. The students of the Malta School of Drama and Dance should aspire to be part of the productions staged by Alumni.
Calleja's play, written in 1970, explores the meaning of art and comedy for whom the characters themselves define as the oppressors of this art form or rather the audience itself. The play, which turns 50 next year, still feels as fresh as if it were written in this day and age and the themes tackled by Calleja make us reflect not only on the local theatre scene but also on our way of life in a more general manner.
For this first production by Alumni Stage Troupe, the cast will be formed entirely by former students and educators of the school, namely Joe Pace, Andy Catania, Alan Fenech, Michelle Zerafa, Renato Dimech, Chris Degiorgio and Matthew Balzan. Direction is in the able hands of Dominic Said.
Iġsma Iħirsa will be staged on 16 and 17 November at the Malta School of Drama and Dance in Blata l-Bajda. Places are on a first-come first-served basis and tickets are limited. The play is in Maltese.
Tickets may be booked via the website www.alumnitroupe.com or by calling on 2122 0665, 2598 3740
Photo: Mario Casha