Local theatre producers are exploring live performance online with the COVID-19-inspired piece Mill-Kċina ta’ Connor (What’s cooking, Connor?).

COVID-19 has changed the way we do things. It has changed the way we work, the way we interact, the way we behave. Adapting to the situation has been challenging but there have been positive aspects in the process. We have all had to think out of the box in order to find procedures to be efficient and to reach out to each other… and that is exactly what theatre artists have been doing too.

As masters of creativity, actors, producers and directors have dug up past productions from their archives to increase the audience members that can enjoy these performances. Others have decided to record themselves singing, dancing or presenting a short skit.

Yet in all this, the theatre experience was lost. Theatre is watching an event happening live, observing the audience around you (yes, gossip is certainly a fundamental aspect of the theatrical experience), and criticising the show as you are sipping a glass of wine in the break, or after the performance.

The audience can see not only the actor but also other audience members

So how can this experience be at least approximated in the situation that we are currently in? Local theatre producers Tyrone Grima and Elaine Falzon have come up with a challenging and interesting experiment. A one-man show, filmed in someone’s house, with a room in the house serving as the actual set, and the production being filmed and transmitted live to the audience, who watches it live in their homes through an online conferencing platform in which they can see not only the actor but also the other audience members. Sounds complicated? Ask Matthew Muscat Drago, the technical director of this production who transforms anything techy into something simple and feasible.

This gave birth to Mill-Kċina ta’ Connor, a 25-minute show, written and directed by Tyrone Grima with Malcom Galea as the protagonist. Connor is a good man… perhaps a bit too good. He conducts these live streaming programmes from his house in which he always has a positive message to pass on. This time he is in his kitchen, and he believes he has the solution to the pandemic that we are experiencing.

But what exactly is Connor concocting? You are invited to join on Friday, May 15, and Saturday, May 16, at 8.30pm to discover more… under certain conditions, namely that you dress up in what you would usually wear to go to the theatre (in all its variant fashion styles), and of course, pour yourself a glass of wine. We promise that you will laugh, enjoy yourselves, and if you want, also have the opportunity afterwards to discuss this new experiment.

The live performances will take place on Friday and Saturday at 8.30pm. Details of the event can be found on the Mill-Kċina ta’ Connor Facebook event page at www.facebook.com/events/1036669960067622 For more details, contact kcinaconner@gmail.com.