A visit to Santa Venera’s MADC Clubrooms this week will have audiences laughing, gasping and crying as a variety of one-act plays are staged for this year’s MADC One-Act Play Festival, running from September 7-10.

Audiences will visit Tennessee Williams’ 1940s America, step into the heat of an on-stage argument between couples and find humour at an event to celebrate a death. They can also discover the unexpected perils of a tin of salmon and – appropriately – uncover secrets behind the creation of a play, courtesy of Doris Day!

The event has been running since 1979, its purpose to introduce enthusiastic beginners of all ages to directing and acting.

Many of Malta’s leading actors and directors, including Anthony Bezzina, Frederick Testa, Nanette Brimmer, Wesley Ellul, Toni Attard, Malcolm Galea, Chris Gatt and Chiara Hyzler, first directed or trod the boards during this wonderful event which is a crucial cog in the Maltese theatre world.

“It’s such a pleasure to see burgeoning new talent on the stage. Five new directors have each chosen a one-act play and are working with actors taking to the stage for the first time, many of whom are in their early 20s,” says artistic director Marylu Coppini.

A one-act play in the 2022 edition.

The festival opens with a short comedy, Funeral Tea, in which Uncle Jacob has just been cremated and his nieces and their friends gather to spread his ashes.

“Originally set in Ireland, this version, directed by Silvana Maimone, has a Maltese flavour and there’s even a mention of Gozo!” Coppini continues.

The second play of the evening, directed by Julia Camilleri, is Three More Sleepless Nights by Caryl Churchill. “This is an unusual play with interesting dialogue,” Coppini explains.

The last play on the opening night is Something in the Genes by Don Woods, directed by Malcolm Micallef. This play begins with a village shopkeeper reporting the wife of a local banker for a small theft – of a tin of salmon – and ends in disaster, ultimately providing him with a salutary lesson.

Five new directors have each chosen a one-act play and are working with actors taking to the stage for the first time, many of whom are in their early 20s

In addition to questioning whether the ‘correct thing to do’ is always the right course of action, Something in the Genes is also a reflection on a community and has a backstory about the impact of the incident on the shopkeeper’s life and marriage.

There are two plays on the second night of the festival, on September 8, the first of which is Interior: Panic by Tennessee Williams, directed by Nikolai Azzopardi. Written in 1945 but first performed 60 years later, this is thought to have been an early version of the world-renowned A Streetcar Named Desire (1947).

In this earlier work, a Southern belle, Blanche DuBois, goes to stay with her sister and, grappling with her inner demons, confronts her traumatic past.

“Seen through the eyes of a person in a state of panic, it’s a story of mental and moral disintegration and, ultimately, ruin, but it isn’t as heavy as it sounds,” says Coppini.

The final play in the set (as the productions on Thursday and Friday are then performed again on Saturday and Sunday) is Audition for A Writer by Doris M. Day.

Another play in the 2022 edition.

Chosen by director Francesca Zerafa, this play is about the creation of characters and a plot in the mind of a writer, and the complex issues that arise. The show begins with a monologue by a street sweeper who sits quietly on a bench as the various other characters interact, and then there’s a surprise at the end.

This show, which is both intense yet fun, is a great finish for the two-day programme which is repeated twice over the four days of the festival.

“The festival culminates on the Sunday evening (September 10) with an award ceremony, a highlight of the event for the MADC says Marylu, who works closely with executive producer James Sultana and stage manager Marco Mallia.

“We invite external judges and the rivalry between the performances, directors and actors is palpable: it’s an exciting finale.”

For more information and to book your tickets, visit madc.com.mt.