Cultural policy

I would like to express my feelings regarding the recent production of Gounod's opera Romeo et Juliette as part of the BOV International Opera Festival.

The production, which had been beset by various misfortunes, was marked by inconsistencies. I need not go into the details of the misfortunes and the shortcomings that befell the production but a few questions remain hanging in the air.

Firstly, what happened to the money allocated for costumes and stage designs which were never used? What was the process by which the Malta Chorale was chosen? Who will be held accountable for the failure of the production?

I was one of the many who looked forward to this production and came to Malta a week earlier before my Easter break thus missing out on important university activities, only to be presented with a travesty of an opera. If there are not enough funds and resources to mount an opera festival, then perhaps one should reconsider the feasibility of such an enterprise.

A chamber music festival would not only be cheaper but far more accessible to performers and audiences alike. Such an event should not be the monopoly of one institution but a collaboration between different establishments.

It is time for the Manoel Theatre to take responsibility for its failure towards public culture and also time for the government to present us with a decent cultural policy.