Theatre directors who have forged ahead with their productions have said they are dealing with a lack of clarity and confusion, as “illogical” COVID-19 regulations mean they will make losses.
Willing to take all necessary health precautions, they just want things to be “fair, practical and viable”.
Speaking last week, before the new rule on ‘bubbles’ was introduced, they said they consider the measures to be “unreasonable and unjust”.
The irony of the situation is seen in the fact that A Midsummer Night’s Dream, currently being staged at the Mosta Amphitheatre, does not require the audience to be vaccinated.
Arbitrary laws
Director Philip Leone-Ganado has been working diligently under the June 7 measures that have meant he had to change venue to stage his production in a licensed theatre – of which there are none, he was soon to discover.
With no way to define a theatre, decisions were arbitrary, he said, adding it was “madness to make laws like that”.
The regulations “encouraged” productions to be held indoors, and the reason why the Shakespeare play is being staged outdoors is because the venue has ‘theatre’ in its name.
The company has had to fend for itself, Leone-Ganado said as he learns of other events in full swing.
The whole rigmarole, lack of clarity and other logistics, such as providing 24/7 security, have led to spiralling costs with a greater impact due to the small audience numbers.
“I decided to go ahead when the government announced that theatres would open on June 7. Then, when the costs started racking up, the only way to survive was by putting on the play to get some of the money back.”
The production is sold out, with a very long waiting list. And every night, Leone-Ganado sets up the chairs, depending on the way the audience will be grouped and seated for that performance.
Nevertheless, financially, the production, which closes on Monday, is running at a loss.
'All horribly confusing'
By the time MADC’s Midsummer – A Play with Songs kicks off at San Anton Gardens from July 24, director Chris Gatt – unlike a wedding organiser or a supermarket owner – would have to ensure that everyone in the audience presents a vaccine certificate. Gatt said it was “all horribly confusing”, listing as one of the issues the wearing of masks among his vaccinated audience.
“While three people together need to wear a mask, 10 people sitting at the same wedding table do not!”
His three-hander, no-interval play was originally going to be staged in April and was chosen because it was more financially feasible.
But still, the finances do not add up, Gatt said, admitting that MADC was willing to take a hit; it felt dutybound to “hang on to tradition” and stage a summer show.
Costs have been kept to a minimum so that, at least, the actors can get paid, he said, thankful for the voluntary work too.
“If the authorities are concerned about festi, these are already happening,” Gatt said, referring also to recent Ħamrun football celebrations that highlighted the two-weights-and-two-measures approach.
Artists protested outside parliament on Saturday. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli“I cannot understand the fixation with the theatre scene,” he said, pointing out that it was a controlled environment, but that the whole entertainment industry was thrown into the same boat.
While the Malta Entertainment Industry and Arts Association has fought solidly, “we boys have been too good”, he said, insisting that no preferential treatment was being requested.
During an online MEIA meeting on Wednesday, in lieu of a protest that was not permitted by the police, artists shared personal experiences – with some highlighting the irony of being able to perform overseas but not in their own country.
“We are the only industry where workers have to present a vaccine certificate to actually go to work. It is highly discriminatory,” singer Ira Losco insisted.
Her restaurateur husband did not have to request a certificate or swab from anyone walking into his eatery, she pointed out.
The MEIA called for the same protocols for all, as their events continued to be “demonised”.