The Mount Carmel Hospital building in Attard could be the perfect venue for a new national theatre, as the space offers a unique philosophical opportunity to embody the connection between art and psychology, according to Teatru Malta’s artistic director.

Sean Buhagiar is convinced that the psychiatric hospital, often in the headlines for the wrong reasons, would be a great space for the theatre world to claim.

While Mount Carmel is currently in use, that may not be true forever, Buhagiar said, as plans to have a new mental health hospital closer to Mater Dei hospital were discussed a few years ago.

Across the road from Mater Dei, a site in Swatar has been earmarked for the development of a new psychiatric hospital after plans were tabled in parliament.

It’s better than turning it into a hotel- Sean Buhagiar, Teatru Malta’s artistic director

In 2021, when a call for tenders was set to be published, the hospital was planned to be open by 2025.

However, while Mount Carmel may be the perfect spot for a theatre, Buhagiar is not dead set on the space and is more focused on bringing a new contemporary theatre to the island.

“This is not about stamping our feet to give us Mount Carmel,” he said, but rather a romantic idea that sees the mental health hospital as a perfect home for a new theatre.

By revitalising the hospital into a cultural destination that entices people to visit and explore shows and exhibitions, the theatre could become a physical bridge between the artistic world and the psychological world. Illustration: Teatru Malta

'Not just a stage but several spaces where to rehearse'

Firstly, on a practical level, the space would be able to accommodate not just a stage, but several spaces for professional performers to rehearse, intimate theatres for band gigs and a larger theatre complete with expansive backstage spaces and wings.

“All this, alongside a national costume house that consolidates all publicly owned costumes,” Buhagiar said.

Apart from that, the hospital is large enough to also offer areas for sizeable sets to be built and stored while social areas, such as a bar and restaurant, could be added, still leaving room for a spacious car park and maybe even a sculpture garden.

“There are many examples of old milk factories, old train stations and old hospitals that have been reinvented into a multicultural space,” Buhagiar said.

“It’s better than turning it into a hotel.”

By revitalising the hospital into a cultural destination that entices people to visit and explore shows and exhibitions, the theatre could become a physical bridge between the artistic world and the psychological world, he said, noting philosophers such as Martin Heidegger.

Born in Germany in 1889, Heidegger’s essay The Origin of the Work of Art delves into the relationship between art and culture, discussing the dynamic relationship between the artwork and the artist while looking at the active lifespans of art.

An illustration showing how Teatru Malta envisages the transformation of Mount Carmel.

'Theatrical space is limited'

Despite Malta already being home to several theatrical spaces including the Manoel Theatre, Buhagiar said that theatrical space is constantly limited as productions struggle to find a spot to rehearse.

“The Manoel is not enough,” Buhagiar said, pointing out that too much is already happening at the theatre.

“The reality is that we, [Teatru Malta], as a national theatre company, struggle to get theatre space,” he continued.

The Manoel was built in 1731, and it is time Malta had a national contemporary theatre that represents today’s artistic landscape, Buhagiar said.

Buhagiar compared his vision to several theatres from across Europe such as the Jan Kochanowski Theatre in Opole, Poland and the Théâtre du Maillon in Strasbourg, France.

Both theatres lie on city borders and see people make their way to the locality’s fringes to see culture and theatre, he said, which could be mirrored for Mount Carmel’s out-of-the-city location.

However, Teatru Malta’s message that art has no borders is still embodied within the theatre, as productions require more than an exhibition space which could be done in public spaces.

“Teatru Malta’s ethos and vision of treating the whole of Malta, Gozo and Europe as a stage could remain resolute; however, it does not mean we do not need a space to build, start, test, and collaborate,” Buhagiar said.