THEATRE

TOI TOI, the Manoel’s Learning Programme, is launching its 2024-2025 season with a TOI TOI NextGen fringe production between September 19 and 22.

Writer and performer Hannah Maxwell (I, AmDram, 2017-2022) is presenting her latest storytelling show, Nan, Me and Barbara Pravi, an epic tale of care, crisis and the Eurovision Song Contest. 

In 2021, Maxwell moved back to the UK’s home counties to care for her terminally ill grandfather; but this show isn’t about that… it’s about France’s Eurovision star Barbara Pravi.

In between cooking, cleaning and the Eurovision countdown, Maxwell escapes into an intensifying fantasy of ballroom dances, heartfelt ballads, Parisian cafés, fluent French and definitely-not-creepy plots to engineer a meet-cute with a random foreign celebrity. 

Combining spoken word, video and chanson française, Nan, Me and Barbara Pravi is a tale of grief and care, addiction and recovery, and hope and coping in unprecedented times.

Suitable for an audience aged over 16, the show will be held at the Manoel Theatre Studio, Valletta, on September 19 and 20 at 8pm and on September 21 and 22 at 6pm. Tickets from teatrumanoel.mt.

Safergrounds

The Busli Collective is presenting Safergrounds at Theatre Next Door in Maghtab, between September 20 and 22.

Set in the near future under a far-left regime, the original play offers an ironic take on a dystopian world where queer individuals are confined to a so-called ‘Safe Haven’.

Five characters − Ray, Dana, Aliyah, Luka and Mia − navigate this absurd, bubble-wrapped world that may or may not lead to a revolution. 

The event is being held in collaboration with Aġenzija Żghażagħ and MGRM and is supported by BOV and Arts Council Malta.

Tickets from www.fmt.com.mt.

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MUSIC

Stage and Proms on the Sea

The Gozo Youth Wind Band (GYWB) within the Gozo Youth Wind Band & Orchestra is presenting the ninth edition of Stage and Proms on the Sea on  September 16 at 8pm at the Mġarr Marina. 

The programme includes excerpts and medleys from popular musicals, as well as classic encores performed in the BBC Proms Final Night held at the Royal Albert Hall. 

Singers Neville Refalo and Rachel Fabri will be accompanying the Gozo Youth Wind Band, which will be under the direction of its founder and musical director Joseph Grech. British/American guest musical theatre singer Kathy Thomas is the special guest performer.

Entrance (standing) is free. An optional premium VIP designated seated area, including a welcome drink and food, is available strictly by reservation. For more information and bookings, call 7942 1611/9942 1611.

The initiative is being supported by the Ministry for Gozo and Planning, The Cultural Heritage Directorate within the Ministry for Gozo and in collaboration with the Malta Tourism Authority and Visit Gozo, among other sponsors.

Trio Incendio in Concert

An award-winning concert trio from Prague is performing in an evening of chamber music at the Manoel Theatre, Valletta, in celebration of the year of Czech Music 2024, on September 18 at 8pm.

Trio Incendio, featuring pianist Karolína Františová, violinist Filip Zaykov and cellist Vilém Petras, will play a selection of compositions from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including Bohuslav Martinů’s Trio No. 3 in C, H.332, Franz Liszt’s Tristia for Piano Trio, S. 378c (after La Valée d’Obermann), and Antonín Dvořák’s Trio Nr. 2 g-Moll, Op. 26. 

Tickets are available from the Manoel Theatre box office or teatrumanoel.mt or by calling the box office at (+356) 2124 6389. For more information on Trio Incendio, visit www.trioincendio.com or check out their social media.

Rock in the Street

Updated 17/9: This event has been postponed. Follow the event's Facebook page for more updates.

The Valletta Cultural Agency’s Strada Stretta programme resumes on September 20 with an evening replete with rock classics. 

The show will see performances by the newly formed Rock n’ Roll Circus, a rotating collective of some of Malta’s finest musicians and singers, founded and led by vocalist Mikaela Attard and guitarist Wayne Camilleri. 

This edition will feature performances by Stefan Pia, Talitha Dimech, Matthew James Borg, Frank Calleja, Luca Xuereb, and a host of other top local artists.Among others, they will perform rock classics such as Livin’ on a Prayer, Comfortably Numb, Personal Jesus, Highway to Hell and Money for Nothing.

The free event will be held outdoors in Strait Street, between Melita Street and St John Street, at 8.30pm.

Dock Music 2024

The music festival returns to Dock 1 in Cospicua on September 20 from 7pm onwards.

Performing on the night will be Glen and Amber, followed by Ivan Grech, who will be accompanied by the Voca Choir. Entrance is free.

The event is organised by the Kottonera Foundation. For more information, visit the event’s Facebook page.

Independence Day Concert

Festivals Malta, on behalf of the National Festivities Committee, is commemorating the 60th anniversary of Mata’s Independence Day with the annual Independence Day Concert at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta, on September 21 at 8pm.

The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra will perform under the direction of Michael Laus with the participation of mezzo-soprano Marvic Monreal.

The programme includes works by Copland, Saint-Saens and Beethoven and by local composers Alexander Vella Gregory and Charles Camilleri.

Tickets from showshappening.com.

Music Speaks: Life in Multicolour

Alessia Bonnici, a 19-year-old pianist who is on the autism spectrum, will perform at the Salesian Theatre in Sliema, on September 21, at 7.30pm.

Artists from diverse musical backgrounds will collaborate with Bonnici, using music as a medium to surpass traditional communication barriers. 

The event emphasises the importance of inclusion and diversity, illustrating how all individuals can contribute meaningfully to society.

Tickets from showshappening.com.

Liam Gallagher & Friends Weekender

Britush singer Liam Gallagher of Oasis fame is performing once again in Malta as part of four-day festival Liam Gallagher & Friends.

The festival kicks off with a club night at Uno in Ta' Qali on September 19, followed by a pool party at Cafe del Mar in Bugibba on September 20 and an intimate full production show headlined by Blossoms, Lanthums, The Ks, The View, The Mary Wallopers and Sofy at the Ta' Qali Concert Area on September 21.

The festival will reach its climax with Gallagher's concert at the Ta' Qali Concert Area on September 22.

Tickets are available here.

MISCELLANEOUS

Cataclysmic Floods and Melting Ice

Spazju Kreattiv is hosting a video teaser and discussion event with National Geographic explorer Aaron Micallef and film-maker Kevin Sciberras on Tuesday, September 17 at 7.30pm.

Two projects funded by National Geographic will be highlighted: one examining a historic Mediterranean flood and the other studying submarine groundwater discharge in Antarctica.

Both short videos will be accompanied by a presentation about the research projects and a Q&A session.

Attendance is free but tickets must be booked via kreattivita.org.

Malta Climate Action

Eco Market Malta and Friends of the Earth Malta are holding a special edition of the Eco Market at the Upper Barrakka Gardens in Valletta between September 19 and 22 as part of the Sustainable Development Week.

Eco-innovative start-ups, local NGOs and artisans driving positive change for the community and the environment will be present.

On Saturday and Sunday, there will also be a Kids Market, with various educational activities for children such as upcycled and creative crafts workshops, games and a Disney dance party.

The event will be held daily between 10am and 5pm. For more information, visit the Eco Market Malta's Facebook page.

Lejla fil-park

Sustainable Development Malta is holding the third edition of Lejla fil-park at the Park ta’ San Klement in Żabbar on September 20 between 5 and 9.30pm, as part of Sustainable Development Week.

There will be various activities for all the family, including sports, educational stalls, exhibitions, interactive activities and entertainment.

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

Malta International Fish Fest

Fishermen, organisations and local producers will have the opportunity to showcase their products during the next edition of the Malta International Fish Fest being held in Marsaxlokk on September 21 from 6pm onwards.

Among others, there will be various displays related to fishing by the Fisheries Department and the Aquatic Re-sources Malta Agency, fish and seafood dishes and fishing equipment.

For more information, visit Sajd, the official Facebook page of the parliamentary secretariat for Fisheries, Agriculture and Animal Rights.

Festalingwi

The University of Malta Valletta Campus is holding a fun and diverse programme on the occasion of  the European Day of Languages on September 22 from noon to 9.30pm.

Every year, the European Day of Languages celebrates Europe’s rich linguistic and cultural heritage. The Malta event will include taster lessons of various languages including Spanish, Basque, French, Ukrainian and the Maltese sign language, games and quizzes in different languages, theatre shows and a concert, Ħoss il-Malti, featuring Brodu and Sean Borg.

There will also be animated reading sessions for children in different age groups, theatre shows by More or Less Theatre and a musical performance for children by Mariele Zammit, Justin Galea and Ġużè Camilleri.

Maltese language will also be given its due, with the programme featuring Kwiżżikk, a quiz on Maltese expressions, a workshop centred around the book Mela!, and the annual Żanżan Kelma spelling bee final.

The one-day festival is co-organised by the European Commission in Malta and the University of Malta. For more information, visit the event's Facebook page.

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