128 artists petition PM against roofless theatre
128 artists from across the cultural scene have written to the Prime Minister telling him they oppose his decision to have a roofless theatre on the former opera house site. The signatories include Peter Serracino Inglott, Joseph Calleja, Felix...
128 artists from across the cultural scene have written to the Prime Minister telling him they oppose his decision to have a roofless theatre on the former opera house site.
The signatories include Peter Serracino Inglott, Joseph Calleja, Felix Busuttil, Carmine Lauri and Alison White.
Actors, musicians, dancers, singers, directors, choreographers, producers and crew involved in the performing arts and the music scene in Malta signed a letter they presented to Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi this evening.
The letter says:
"We are also disappointed that the arguments presented and statements issued by numerous theatre practitioners have not been taken into consideration during the alleged consultation period.
"May we reiterate that the an open-air theatre in its proposed location is operationally challenging due to security measures imposed by any Parliamentary building, limited by weather conditions and also prone to noise pollution: both that which it produces, which can disturb people living in the neighbourhood, and the noise produced around it, such as fireworks, outside festivities, and other factors which can be a severe hindrance to performances."
The artists said that theatre history has demonstrated that the open-air concept has evolved from an acoustically perfect natural environment to a built arena that still managed to create a complete immersive and cathartic experience in a beautiful setting.
"We fail to see how the surrounding environment of the current space can retain this principle. This project also throws up a number of logistical and financial problems which will make the use of the space as likely and as successful as the use of our other open air theatre in Ta' Qali."
They said that contrary to what the Prime Minister stated, open-air theatre was not a new concept to Malta and with a tradition of open-air stage productions dating back 100 years, Maltese theatre practitioners had vast knowledge and experience in the pitfalls and opportunities of open-air experiences.
"Yet, this advice seems to have been totally ignored."
They said Malta still needed a fully-fledged purposely-built space for the performing arts that can cater for the needs of artists, which are not being addressed in the existing theatres such as poor acoustics, backstage facilities and modern amenities.
In the same manner in which new sports complexes, schools, hospitals or parliament buildings were no longer considered a luxury for developed countries, the same should be said for a purposely built public space for creative expression.
It would have been more logical, useful and appropriate if any investment went towards a proper multifunction performance space, they said.
The artists argued that although the proposed project was interesting, it did not contribute to solving the huge shortcomings found in other state theatres but repeated shortcomings and created others of its own.
They said that investment in the professionalisation of artists, technicians and producers should be running parallel to the construction of any space.
"Only in this way can we guarantee that this provides the high-quality performances that Malta, and any performance space, aspire to.
"We urge the Prime Minister to engage in an immediate discussion with theatre practitioners and refrain from acting singlehandedly on behalf of future users of the space.
"We look forward to a time when Renzo Piano’s unstinting efforts to save the space from the hands of politicians can be fully explored and developed not as an afterthought or in competition with parliamentary sittings, housing estate facades or a bus terminus but treated with respect, conviction and expressed as an integral part of Malta’s cultural vision," they said.
They said that ultimately, the performance space should not be seen as a monument, but as a dynamic cultural focus, essential to the successful development of the City Gate Project and the culture led regeneration of Valletta.
THE SIGNATORIES
|
Francesca Abela Tranter |
Artistic Director / choreographer |
|
Jean Pierre Aguis |
Actor |
|
Francesca Aquilina |
Soprano |
|
Toni Attard |
Actor & Theatre Director/ creative industries advisor |
|
Sharon Attard |
Actor |
|
Antonella Axisa |
Performer |
|
Mario Azzopardi |
Theatre Director |
|
Mario Philip Azzopardi |
Film and Theatre Director (Toronto) |
|
Dorothy Baldacchino |
Soprano & Actor |
|
Andrew Barberi |
Singer & Musician |
|
Tanya Bayona |
Classical Ballet Teacher and Choreographer |
|
Mark Mifsud Bonnici |
Designer |
|
Coryse Borg |
Actress and Drama teacher |
|
Elaine Borg |
Singer |
|
Frank Bowman |
Painter and Designer |
|
Adrian Buckle |
Artistic Director & Producer Unifaun Theatre Productions |
|
Maria Buckle |
Actor |
|
Albert Buttigieg |
Opera Singer |
|
Alfred Buttigieg |
Playwright |
|
Felix Busuttil |
Director, YADA Dance Company |
|
Vince Briffa |
Video and Perfromance Artist |
|
Nanette Brimmer |
Actor & Theatre Director |
|
Narcy Calamatta |
Theatre Director, Actor and Founder of Zararti Foundation |
|
Joseph Calleja |
International Tenor |
|
Robert Calleja |
Musician and Choir director |
|
Barry E Calvert |
Actor/Director |
|
Julia Calvert |
Actor |
|
Monica Calvert |
Backstage Crew |
|
Florinda Camillleri |
Dancer |
|
Thomas Camilleri |
Actor (London's West End) |
|
Sarah Camillieri |
Dancer/ Choreographer/ Artist |
|
Edward Caruana Galizia |
Actor |
|
Angèle Caruana |
Choral Singer |
|
Fiona Cauchi |
Singer |
|
Jo Caruana |
Theatre Critic and Actress |
|
Irene Christ |
Actor, Director, Theatre producer |
|
Josette Ciappara |
Theatre practitioner/ Educator |
|
Philip Chircop |
Painter |
|
Claire Ciantar |
Performing artist |
|
Angele Cristina |
Actor and Drama teacher |
|
Norma Cristina |
Actor |
|
Tony Cassar Darien |
Artistic director/writer |
|
Deedee Clark |
Dancer/ Singer/ Actress |
|
Rosetta De Battista |
Musician/educator/music therapist |
|
Kate De Cesare |
Actor |
|
Edward DeGaetano |
Actor |
|
Andre Delicata |
Theatre Critic Times of Malta |
|
Christopher Dingli |
Actor, Musician (London) |
|
Mark Doneo |
Producer and director |
|
Lizzie Eldridge |
Theatre artist and writer |
|
Wesley Daniel Ellul |
Theatre Director/ Actor |
|
Kathrina Farrugia |
Lecturer in Dance Studies, Royal Academy of Dance London |
|
Lino Farrugia |
Theatre Director |
|
Gillian Fenech |
Choral Singer |
|
Louise Fenech |
Actress |
|
Francesca Fenech |
Actor, singer, dancer |
|
Karl Fiorini |
Composer |
|
Anna Formosa |
Actress and applied drama practitioner |
|
Daron Galea |
Chroegrapher and Dance teacher |
|
Marco Galea |
academic/theatre historian |
|
Yvette Maria Galea |
Freelance pianist and accompanist |
|
Christopher Gatt |
Theatre director |
|
Isabelle Gatt |
Lecturer - Creative and Expressive Arts, Artistic Director - Teatru Qroqq Projects |
|
Fiona Giambra |
Musician |
|
Niki Gravino |
Music Artist |
|
Maria Grech Ganado |
Author |
|
Noel Grech |
Musician |
|
Tyrone Grima |
Artistic Director, Theatre Encore |
|
Chiara Hyzler |
Actor |
|
Victor-Emmanuel Jacono |
researcher in performer-pedagogy, theatre maker and scholar |
|
Theresa Krentzlin |
Wardrobe MADC |
|
Carmine Lauri |
Musician |
|
Joseph Lia |
Opera Singer |
|
Pauline Longo |
Soprano |
|
John McDonough |
Musician |
|
Deborah McNamara |
Dance School Principal & International Examiner for the Spanish Dance Society |
|
Maria Pia Meli |
Singer, musician, actress |
|
Joe Meli |
Producer |
|
Caldon Mercieca |
Theatre practitioner/ creative industries advisor |
|
Edward Mercieca |
Actor/ Producer FM Theatre Productions |
|
Mario Micallef |
Director Talenti Theatrical Co. |
|
Jennifer Micallef |
Classical concert pianist |
|
Ninette Micallef |
Actor |
|
Immanuel Mifsud |
Writer and Theatre Director |
|
Philip Mizzi |
Actor |
|
Marco Montalto |
Performer - Groups for Human Encounter |
|
Denise Mulholland |
Theatre director/producer; actor; singer; teacher of performing arts |
|
Erica Anne Muscat |
Actress |
|
Joe Pace |
Actor |
|
Krista Paris |
Actress/Singer/Dancer and drama teacher |
|
Mik Pisani |
Actor |
|
Pierre Portelli |
Set Designer |
|
Franica Pulis |
Actor |
|
Andrea Pullicino |
Designer |
|
Neville Refalo |
Actor, Singer and Musician |
|
Mariano Said |
Actor |
|
Paul Sebastian Saliba |
Musician - Big Band Brothers |
|
Stefan Scerri |
Stage Manager |
|
Terry Shaw |
Theatre director, Actor and opera singer |
|
Hannah Schembri |
Performer |
|
Karl Schembri |
Author & journalist |
|
John J Schranz |
Director-Pedagogue, Groups for Human Encounter/ Professor of Theory and Philosophy of Theatre in the MSPC Programme of the University of Malta/ Director - ActionBase Studio for Researching Performative Processes/ Co-Director of the Joint European Master's Programme in the Science of Performative Creativity. |
|
Gabrielle Scicluna |
Dancer |
|
Alexandra Scicluna |
Mezzo- soprano |
|
Peter Serracino Inglott |
Opera Librettist and Theatre Studies Coordinator University of Malta |
|
James Spiteri |
Actor |
|
Sarah Spiteri |
Musician, Music and Visual Arts Co-ordinator |
|
Sharon Spiteri |
Director |
|
Simone Spiteri |
Actor, playwright, Artistic Director Du' Theatre Group (Malta) |
|
Kristian Spiteri |
Musician |
|
Albert-G. Storace |
reviewer/critic and broadcaster |
|
Gabi Sultana |
Pianist |
|
Erin Stewart Tanti |
Theatre producer, director and actor |
|
Marcelle Teuma |
Theatre Director/Performer/Educator |
|
Rachael Tedesco Triccas |
Performing artist |
|
Jospeh Vella Bondin |
Dramatist and Musicologist |
|
Alexander Vella Gregory |
Composer & Musician |
|
Deborah Vella |
Singer |
|
Joe Vella |
Lighting Designer |
|
Joe Quattromani |
Actor/ Theatre Director |
|
Michael Quinton |
Music Production Spooky Monkey |
|
Alison White Micallef |
President Dance Council Malta representing the majority of dance schools in Malta and Gozo Dance Teacher and entertainer |
|
Abigail Williams |
Actress |
|
Paul Xuereb |
Drama critic and author |
|
MariaElena Zammit |
Performer - Groups for Human Encounter |
|
Pia Zammit |
Actor & Director Unifaun Theatre |
|
Darrin Zammit Lupi |
Performing arts photographer/ actor/ director |
|
Kenneth Zammit Tabona |
Performing arts critic |