A 116-year-old theatre in the heart of Sliema has been completely refurbished and is about to revolutionise the concept of a community theatre.

The Salesians Theatre plans to host all kinds of events, from traditional drama to jazz nights to stand-up comedy, even doubling up as a day care centre for the elderly.

“We want to get people together beyond the theatre and what is happening on stage. Theatre belongs to the people, and their engagement with the arts can help their general well-being,” said artistic consultant Rosetta Debattista.

She believes the theatre experience should be much more than merely buying a ticket, watching a performance and going back home. For Debattista, a renowned musician and tutor, it is all about engagement, people and socialisation.

Teatru Salesjan intends to work with children, youths, persons with disability, migrant and foreign communities, for which Sliema is a catchment area.

Even the 480 banquet chairs – not your standard theatre seating – were chosen to enhance the versatility of the space, offering a cabaret-style set-up; while large round tables have been purchased so the auditorium can host a variety of events, including gala dinners.

The project involved demolishing the balcony, gutting the stage and its ceiling, and creating the space for a hydraulic stage in the future – although that would cost a further €150,000. The second phase is the regeneration of the theatre’s annex, which would serve as a cultural centre, but that will not be happening anytime soon because of a shortage of funds.

James Spiteri Tanti and Rosetta Debattista

The theatre will transcend the actual building since there are plans for part of Ġuże Howard Street, where the theatre is located, to be pedestrianised and lined with trees. Works on the car-free road are scheduled to start in September, paving the way for the breathing space in line with the community theatre’s role.

Debattista listed the many dormant community theatres and the importance of “decentralising” from Valletta to bring the arts into society’s day-to-day life.

Starting tomorrow, the Golden Years Festival will kick off its community goal in a big way. Held over a series of Monday mornings, it is welcoming the elderly, 18 per cent of whom live in Sliema, to listen to live jazz music from the 1930s through to the 1950s and socialise in the theatre.

“The elderly can feel lonely, and this would be an environment in which they can enjoy themselves and feel comfortable,” said Debattista, the theatre’s creative lead.

The stage at the Salesians Theatre

Big on ideas, short of funds

Beyond the programme of events, which will bring to life the concept of community theatre at the heart of the project, lie two problems.

The theatre has racked up a huge debt of around €500,000, which it fears will eat into the arts sector if it is forced to charge high rental fees for its use.

The project cost €1 million and the strain of that debt on a theatre risks falling on the arts, Debattista feared.

“We need to keep rates reasonable for artists; not to alienate them,” she continued.

If it is not affordable to artists, the box office would feel the pinch of “ridiculous” prices, Debattista said, pointing out how arts events were becoming so costly for audiences, which means excluding a large chunk of society.

But a community theatre was about building a relationship with its audience and not a once-a-year activity, Debattista insisted.

The signage on the theatre's facade.

A view of the building in Ġuże Howard Street.

Voluntary work more challenging

Debattista also feels that running a theatre strictly on a voluntary basis was a thing of the past, with the cost of living meaning people needed to get paid for their work.

“We need more financial assistance and volunteering has become a bite-size approach. A theatre cannot be run on this,” said James Spiteri Tanti, a member of the executive committee made up of three volunteers.

Spiteri Tanti, who has been involved since 2011, would not have it any other way: “I believe in what this place can do for society because I am not too happy with where society is going.”

While there is enough passion, drive and commitment to keep the project going, the dry coffers are a headache, and the committee is scratching its head to see how to raise funds to cover the shortfall that keeps “ballooning”.

They are appealing to the business community to recognise the potential of organising events in the upgraded space.

An architectural detail

“Once it starts being used, the wheels will start turning,” they believe. “But we need help in the next five years to get going,” they maintained, appealing to benefactors.

Spiteri Tanti would like to reawaken an interest in the arts in the country and garner patrons’ support, as is the case overseas, where long lists of families fund the arts.

A membership scheme will soon be launched, allowing subscribers to “feel part of the theatre and benefit from this”.

But the end goal is for Teatru Salesjan to transition to independence and become self-sustainable.

The team is grateful for funding to the tune of around €500,000 from the Arts Council and Teatru Malta, the Planning Authority and the Social Causes Fund over the years.

The large Calì painting and proscenium arch décor on top of the stage were also restored through BOV’s €60,000 sponsorship, while the BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation and ADRC Trust have both been considered a “lifeline”, helping with the budding theatre’s education and community programme.

Even the contractors engaged on the project have been helpful, with their flexible payment terms, Spiteri Tanti said.

“Why don’t we give up? We cannot,” he continued.

“Because although society is disconnected today, we still believe in it and in what the arts can bring to it. This is what we can do, rather than just be armchair critics on social media.”