The new theatre production Zoom explores how COVID-19 dynamics have infiltrated each of our lives and organised our interactions with each other.

Much has been written and discussed about the sad situation of the theatrical sector locally. The theatre community has expressed its frustration at the fact that the sector was not given the same level playing field.

And as the pandemic developed, and the number of active cases decreased and increased in a most fluid manner, making planning challenging, a growing nostalgia of wanting to turn the clock back, became even more evident.

Zoom is a production in Maltese that originated through the crisis of the artistic situation that we are currently in.

Joseph Galea and Tyrone Grima decided to create a production that could merge the old with the modern, by allowing the audience to choose whether to watch the performance online or live at the  Inquisitor’s Palace in Vittoriosa.  The romantic comedy should keep audiences smiling from the beginning till the twist at the very end.

Poster for the play Zoom

Grima’s original script, which he directed as well, is a play within a play.

Samantha (Kristjana Casha) is a bossy entrepreneur, who affected by the pandemic, organises an online cabaret by the flamboyant social media star Guapa (Antonella Axisa).

She has also ensured that her audience is well-fed, asking her long-time collaborator Damian (Carlos Farrugia) to coordinate the catering. But the hyperactive nature of Damian, as well as his total disinterest in Guapa’s show, diverts his focus, leading him to become infatuated with one of the performers (Angele Galea) who is watching online.

Faced with a number of challenges, including Samantha’s headstrong personality and his sister Gertude’s (Kim Dalli) spaced-out interjections, Damian is adamant to conquer the heart of the lady of his dreams whatever this may cost.

The COVID dynamic has taught us that we cannot control everything

Members of the audience who opt for the live performance have another choice to make.

In the palace, two spaces will be used, and the audience needs to choose which space to watch it in. The first space will show the performance as it is meant to be. This is the space where things go according to plan.

In this space, the audience members will also be offered food as part of the performance, (and in line with COVID safety measures).

This version will offer a multi-sensory experience including the beauty of the garden.

Carlos Farrugia and Kim Dalli.

The pandemic has taught us that despite our meticulous planning, we cannot control everything.

Events will be cancelled, and plans will go astray. And the second version of this play, which audience members can choose to watch, will experience this.

If the spectators choose to watch this version, they will watch the play the actors do not want you to watch – the backstage dynamics where actors are complaining and tearing their hair out because technology and human dynamics have led them down.

To be able to provide three versions simultaneously, in three different spaces, in which audience members can still watch the same play, you require a strong technical infrastructure.

Keith Chetcuti, whose vast experience in the technological world, and in the interface between technology and the performing arts, made him the perfect candidate for the job.

Equipped with a system of cameras, Chetcuti will connect the three spaces together, transforming a seemingly impossible concept into a seamless procedure.

Zoom will be staged at the Inquisitor’s Palace from September 17 to 19. For further information, or to book tickets, please send an e-mail to tyronegrima@gmail.com. All safety measurements will be held for the performance, and anyone attending would need to present a certificate proving that s/he is fully vaccinated. This project is supported by the Maltese Council for the Arts.