THEATRE
Kif tgħallimt insuq
Dù Theatre is staging a Maltese adaptation of US playwright Paula Vogel’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel How I Learned to Drive at Theatre Next Door in Magħtab on February 28, March 1-2, 7-9 and 14.
Translated into Maltese by Simone Spiteri and directed by Chiara Hyzler, the play confronts the complexities of taboo relationships, conflicted family dynamics, paedophilia and sexual abuse. It presents these topics in an accessible and sensitive way brought to life with humour and wit.
Kif tgħallimt insuq, certified 15+, is supported by Arts Council Malta, Theatre Next Door, APS Bank and Victim Support Malta. Tickets from fmt.com.mt.
Read also this Times of Malta preview.
The cast of Kif tgħallimt insuq.Il-Qarċilla
Il-Qarċilla, the traditional ‘street theatre’ performed during carnival time, is being staged at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta.
The play is about a marriage contract in which everyone declares whatever comes to mind: what gifts the bride and groom will receive from their parents, witnesses, friends and certain prominent persons and entities, all in the form of rhymed verses.
The notary must document everything to make the piece legally binding. All this delivers a satire about the political and social situation of the country.
The Festivals Malta production is written by Michael Spagnol and directed by Joseph Galea, with music direction by Etienne Spiteri.
Il-Qarċilla, certified 15+, will be staged on February 27 and 28. Tickets from kreattivita.org.
Cast members during a performance of Il-Qarċilla. Photo: Dorian BugejaMUSIC
Suites Across the Centuries
World-renowned harpist Florence Sitruk will perform at the Carmelite church in Mdina on February 28 at 7.30pm.
The intimate concert, titled Suites Across the Centuries, promises a journey through time, featuring masterpieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, Benjamin Britten, Carlos Salzedo and Maltese composer Albert Pace.
A highlight will be the full premiere of a harp solo suite by Pace.
Sitruk will also give a chamber music and harp masterclass at the St Augustine Priory in Valletta the following day.
Tickets from ticketline.com.mt, and applications for the masterclass can be found on the Facebook page Albert Pace − Composer.
Florence SitrukFILM
Happy Chinese New Year Film Festival
The China Cultural Centre in Malta, in collaboration with Spazju Kreattiv, is hosting the sixth Happy Chinese New Year Film Festival, a celebration of Chinese cinema and storytelling, until March 4.
The film Pegasus 2 is showing on February 26 at 7.30pm. The sports comedy-drama, directed by Han Han, follows former champion racer Zhang Chi, who is given a second chance to race when a struggling car factory sponsors his participation in the final Bayinbrook Rally.
The final screening is that of Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms on March 4.
Tickets can be booked via kreattivita.org.
The cast of Pegasus 2.Swan Lake by the Royal Ballet
The Eden Cinemas in St Julian’s is screening the Royal Ballet production of Swan Lake live on February 27 at 8.15pm, with an encore on March 2 at 3pm.
The classical ballet follows the story of Prince Siegfried as he falls for the enchanted Odette, only to be deceived by the dark magic of Von Rothbart.
This powerful tale of love, treachery and forgiveness is complemented by Tchaikovsky’s iconic score and the imagination of choreographer Liam Scarlett and designer John Macfarlane in this production.
Tickets from edencinemas.com.mt.
DANCE
ŻfinDays 2025
The annual ŻfinMalta programme brings together choreographers who are making their mark in the international dance scene to Malta.
ŻfinDays 2025, running until March 2 at the Valletta Campus Theatre, will feature new works by Liliana Barros (Portugal/Germany), Simon Riccardi-Zani (France/Malta) and the recreation of Somiglianza by Mattia Russo and Antonio de Rosa Kor’sia (Italy/Spain).
For more information, read this article and visit zfinmalta.org/. For tickets, click here.
Dancers during rehearsals. Photo: Camille FenechMISCELLANEOUS
Carnival 2025
VALLETTA
The official carnival celebrations in Valletta are being held from February 28 to March 4.
This year’s programme, organised by Festivals Malta, features competitive dances and a parade with the participation of King Carnival, featuring grotesques masks, dance company floats and triumphal floats.
The children’s carnival is being held as usual on Saturday morning (March 1) from 9.30am.
The programme also includes the staging of the traditional street farce Il-Qarċilla at Spazju Kreattiv on February 27 and 28 (see the theatre section) and in Ordinance Street at various times on March 1 and 2. An exhibition related to carnival masks is also being held at Spazju Kreattiv until March 16.
The gran finale will be held along St Anne Street, Floriana, on March 4 from 6pm onwards.
Tickets for seating in St George’s Square from ticketline.com.mt.
GOZO
After the opening parade in Victoria on February 22, the official carnival programme in Gozo is seeing activities in various localities, including Qala, Munxar, Żebbuġ, Għajnsielem, Xewkija, Marsalforn, San Lawrenz, Sannat and, of course, Nadur, best known for its spontaneous carnival.
For a full list of events, click here.
A child participating in last year's carnival. Photo: Matthew MirabelliLecture on privateering and trade in the 16th- and 17th-century Mediterranean
To mark the Mois de la Francophonie and Women’s History Month, the French Embassy in Malta is offering a series of lectures on the ‘History of the Mediterranean’ (in English) and on ‘Women of Power in History’ (in French) with French and Maltese historians.
The first lecture, ‘Privateering and trade in the 16th- and 17th-century Mediterranean: The ambiguities of a confrontation’, will be held at the Valletta Design Cluster on February 27 at 6.30pm.
It will be delivered by professor Géraud Poumarède, who will show how the privateering expeditions of the Order of St John were praised in times of war by the Kingdom of France, the Venetian Empire and the papacy, but were also a source of turbulence in times of peace with the Ottoman Empire.
Poumarède is a professor at Sorbonne University. He is considered one of the leading specialists in the history of Mediterranean diplomacy and the Venetian Empire in the modern era. His book Pour en finir avec la croisade: Mythes et réalités de la lutte contre les Turcs au 16ème et 17ème siècle will be available for purchase.
This lecture is organised with the Instituto Italiano di Cultura di La Valletta and the Alliance française.
To register, visit https://cutt.ly/History-Lectures.
.