Current social issues are the inspiration behind a number of performances taking place this weekend as part of the fourth edition of the Cospicua Short Play Festival.

Writers from across the country submitted entries and an expert jury selected the best six plays.

Written by Lon Kirkop and directed by Sarah Camilleri, Liżar Roża is about a man only referred to as Q (Clint Chircop) who ends up in prostitution. The play also stars Shelby Aquilina, Simone Zammit and Michael Sciortino.

Another play by Kirkop, L’Alla ta’ Wara l-Ħġieġa, revolves around a character nicknamed Nokkla (Alexia Micallef) who has locked herself at home and away from those closest to her. She has lost all her hopes and dreams and only finds comfort in the holy words of the only person she believes in, God (Carlos Farrugia). The play features original music by Kirkop.

Kaxxa Magħluqa fil-Baħħ

In Melise Mifsud’s Imċaħħad, we meet four characters: Samuel (Christian Grech) and Jonathan (Sandro Attard), a gay couple who long to have children; a boy named Miguel (Beppe Calleja Tonna) who wants to be adopted and have a family like the other children; and the latter’s mother (Lilian Pace Vassallo) who does not love her son unconditionally. Imċaħħad, directed by Aaron Fenech, is certified 12+.

Klinika, written by Luke Baldacchino, follows the interactions between four people who meet at a clinic. All of them are strangers and are there for different reasons but they find out they have much more in common than they would have thought possible. Directed by Martina Farrugia, the play stars Nathan Aquilina, Amy Grech, Gilbert Formosa and Alison Abela.

L’Alla ta’ Wara l-Ħġieġa

The festival is being held in mostly open-air sitesin Cospicua

A young man named Saviour (Julian Galea), who has just broken up with his girlfriend, is the protagonist of Minflokk, written and directed by Karl Schembri. In desperation, he had asked his now ex to keep a garment he left at her place and take care of it and he books a flight to go abroad and start afresh. At the airport, he meets a woman (Maria Laura Fenech) and the garment somehow resurfaces. The play also stars Chris Camilleri.

Minflokk

Kaxxa Magħluqa fil-Baħħ, written by Gilbert Mallia, is about a young, blind man named Noah (John Vassallo) who feels stifled by his disability, until one day he meets Samuel (Jonathan Vella), who is weighed down by bitter life experiences. This play features music by Neil Zammit and lyrics by Lara Michelle Camilleri.

Apart from the above six plays, another two are being performed out of competition.

Taħbita, written by Michelle Marie Abela and Audrey Rose Mizzi, who is also the director, revolves around a young man (Emerson Bonello) whose world suddenly turns upside down. An older man in his community (Renzo Bonello) learns about his situation through a series of questions he asks him.

Vincent Vella’s Good Boy Makes Good features a couple who had emigrated to Australia, where they eventually divorced. They kept their divorce secret from their Maltese relatives until one day Nanna Roża decides to visit. Directed by Alan Fenech, the play stars Rebecca Briffa, Ryan Mark De Battista, Chris Grech, Maryann Muscat, Joe Pace, Dominic Said and Moira Vassallo. It is produced by Vermiglio Theatre Productions.

Imċaħħad

The festival, under the artistic direction of Joseph Galea, is being held on Friday and Saturday in mostly open-air sites in Cospicua that include St Margaret Square, Suq Bonnici, Matty Grima Street and Bormla Square.

The event is being organised by the Cospicua local council with the support of the Malta Tourism Authority, the Ministry for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government, the Cottonera Foundation and the Directorate for Local Government ‒ Strategy and Policy Implementation.

Bookings are to be made at the Cospicua local council until tomorrow, from 8am to 12.30pm and from 6 to 8pm. Each person attending the event has to present a valid vaccine certificate. All safety measures issued by the health authorities in view of the COVID-19 pandemic will be strictly adhered to.

For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.

Klinika