THEATRE

Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks

Teatru Salesjan is presenting Richard Alfieri’s play Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks at Palazzo Parisio, in Naxxar today, tomorrow and on Sunday.

Directed by Irene Christ, the play follows an elderly widow (Monica Attard) who hires a dance instructor (Joe Azzopardi) to give her six dance lessons at home. Coming from very different social backgrounds, their rapport is dynamic and antagonistic at first but soon develops into a rare friendship.

As a spin-off, the theatre is also hosting Six Dance Workshops exclusively for people aged 60+ in Sliema, Vittoriosa, Mellieħa and Birżebbuġa, facilitated by dance coach Pamela Kerr and to the music of Niels Plottard. The workshops are taking place every Thursday morning throughout November and December in community and parish halls, with a new dance style introduced every week. No previous experience is required.

Tickets for both the plays and workshops may be purchased online from www.showshappening.com/ or by calling on 7799 7000. 

Spring Awakening

Adrian Buckle, in collaboration with the Malta Drama Centre, is once again presenting the German classic play by Frank Wedekind at Spazju Kreattiv, in Valletta this weekend.

Adapted for today’s audiences by Brad Birch and directed by James Grieve, the play is about a group of children growing up and the issues they face in society.

The cast includes Alex Weenink, Jamie Busuttil Griffin, Ann-Marie Buckle, Pia Zammit and Paul Portelli.

The play, certified 14+, is being staged today and tomorrow at 8pm and on Sunday at 7pm. For tickets, log on to kreattivita.org.

<em>Spring Awakening</em> takes a look at issues children face while growing up. Photo: Darrin Zammit LupiSpring Awakening takes a look at issues children face while growing up. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi

HomeBound

The Hoi Polloi Academy is staging an original musical theatre piece set in a town where everything is controlled by technology. One day, however, a girl’s curiosity jeopardises the very foundations of this futuristic utopia.

The production is written and directed by Marco Calleja, with musical direction by Rebecca Attard and Mirabel de Gabriele and choreography by Hannah Spiteri and Maria Agius Muscat.

The show is taking place today and tomorrow at the University of Malta, Valletta Campus at 7.30pm. Tickets are available on showshappening.com.

KomduSkomdu

Spazju Kreattiv is hosting a one-man show penned by Miguel Formosa and Lee-N Abela which prods at exploitative political tendencies ex­acer­bating the workforce.

Directed by Abela and starring Formosa, the play is being staged tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday. For tickets, visit kreattivita.org.

KomduSkomdu is being staged with the support of Aġenzija Żgħażagħ and Arts Council Malta – Artivisti Programme.

Miguel Formosa in <em>KomduSkomdu</em>. Photo: Audrey Rose MizziMiguel Formosa in KomduSkomdu. Photo: Audrey Rose Mizzi

ARTS

The Three Palaces: Early Opera and Music Festival

The festival, organised by Festivals Malta, continues this week.

Today, Compass Presents will bring their award-winning restaging of the 1920s German gothic cult horror silent film The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, together with live music by Minima, at Sir Temi Zammit Hall, University of Malta, at 8pm.

The festival will end with the performance of the oratorio Il-Belt Rebbieħa by the late maestro Joseph Vella at St Lawrence parish church, Vittoriosa, tomorrow at 7.30pm.

For more information and tickets, visit festivals.mt/ttp.

A scene from the silent horror film <em>The Cabinet of Dr Caligari</em>. Photo: Eureka EntertainmentA scene from the silent horror film The Cabinet of Dr Caligari. Photo: Eureka Entertainment

MUSIC

APS Teatru Unplugged

The 23rd edition of Teatru Unplugged is being held at the Manoel Theatre in Valletta today and tomorrow.

This year’s line-up features Gabriella, This.Co, The Crowns, a trio made up of Renzo Spiteri, Charlie Busuttil and Fabrizio Fedele and the Rolling Stones tribute band Stoned. 

The event is produced by the Manoel Theatre and Jon Shaw  and is under the artistic direction of Renzo Spiteri. It will be hosted by Colin Fitz.

For tickets, click here.

Angela Vella Zarb album launch

Singer Angela Vella Zarb, is launching her debut album titled Funny Face at Rusty Razor in Valletta today.

The album features a selection of vocal jazz standards, as well as other tunes plucked out of movies and adapted to the intimate jazz trio format.

Vella Zarb and her musicians will be performing numbers from the album during the launch.

For tickets, click here.

Singer Angela Vella Zarb. Photo: Elisa von BrockdorffSinger Angela Vella Zarb. Photo: Elisa von Brockdorff

FILM

Anime Festival

The Eden Cinemas in St Julian's is once again hosting an Anime Festival.

One Piece: Red is showing from today both English dubbed and in Japanese with English subtitles.

For tickets and more information, click here.

<em>One Piece: Red</em>One Piece: Red

MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS

Golden Mummies of Egypt

The Malta Classics Association is hosting an online public lecture today to commemorate the centenary of the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun by Howard Carter in November 1922.

The young pharaoh lived, reigned and died several centuries before the rise of Classical Greece and Rome but the mummification traditions of ancient Egypt persisted until Egypt’s Graeco-Roman period.

Campbell Price, curator of the Egypt and Sudan Collection of the Manchester Museum and lecturer at the University of Manchester, will be introducing participants to some of the mummies from this Graeco-Roman period and explain their importance in context.

The lecture starts at 7pm and attendance is free. Those interested are to register here.


VISUAL ARTS

White on Black

Richard England's exhibition of works on paper at ART..e Gallery of 1, Library Street, Victoria, is closing today.

Titled White on Black, the exhibition investigates the artistic aspect of an architect who has become synonymous with modernism.

Consult the gallery’s Facebook page for opening hours.

Groundwaters

A collective exhibition featuring outsider art – an umbrella term coined for individuals producing art outside the culturally established centres – is closing today at the Valletta Contemporary Gallery.

Titled Groundwaters, this exhibition is the first one in Malta to explore the perspectives of individuals who are somewhat marginalised, through their own design or otherwise, and who create work on the fringes of the mainstream. 

Curated by Gabriel Zammit, it features the works of Anonymous, Emma Attard, Adrian Camilleri, William Driscoll, Emma Johnson, Salvina Muscat and Joe Vassallo. It includes ex-voto paintings, West African Bocio fetish dolls and other objects which have their roots in religion, magic and ritual.

The gallery is open from from 2 to 7pm. For more information, visit www.vallettacontemporary.com/.

Also read this Times of Malta interview with the curator.

Work by Anonymous on display at the <em>Groundwaters </em>exhibition. Photo: Michaele ZammitWork by Anonymous on display at the Groundwaters exhibition. Photo: Michaele Zammit

Early Light

A solo exhibition of oil on canvas works by Tonio Mallia is open at Gallery 23 in Balzan until tomorrow, November 13.

One may view the exhibition by appointment or tomorrow from 9am to 12.30pm. For more information, visit the Gallery 23 Facebook page.

E..scapes 

The title chosen for the collective exhibition by Wallace Falzon, Patrick Galea and Lawrence Pavia is a play on words, offering different perspectives that the viewer is invited to investigate. 

One can consider the collection as ‘escapes’ from the discomfort of the mundane; escapist narratives expressed through artistic expression.

E..scapes is hosted by Obelisk Gallery, 234, Main Street, Balzan, until November 15. Opening hours are Monday to Friday from 4 to 7pm and Saturday from 10am to 2pm.

Read this Times of Malta review of the exhibition.

<em>Field Patterns at Dusk </em>by Patrick GaleaField Patterns at Dusk by Patrick Galea

Here & There

Mona Vella is presenting a collection of recent plein air paintings at the Malta Postal Museum & Arts Hub in Archbishop Street, Valletta.

Inspired by Malta's rugged cliff faces and the varying moods of the sea, these watercolours attempt to capture atmosphere and time as experienced by the artist.

Here & There runs until November 19. The museum is open from Monday to Friday between 10am to 4pm and on Saturdays from 10am to 2pm.

Shadows and Light The Wilfrid Flores Archive

Christine X Art Gallery of 17, Tignè Street, Sliema, is hosting the first exhibition dedicated to the work of Wilfrid Flores, an important photographer who passed away in 1981.

Curated by photographer David Pisani, Shadows and Light The Wilfrid Flores Archive investigates the various themes of this pioneer in Maltese photography.

The exhibition runs until November 22. For more information, visit https://www.christinexart.com/ or the gallery's Facebook page.

Also read this Times of Malta interview with the curator.

Seħer il-Baħar

A visual art exhibition at the Malta Society of Arts discloses Anna Galea’s latest evocative artistic exploration of the sea.

The artist explores the mystery and mesmerising elements of the waters surrounding the Maltese islands through different experimental watercolour and oil painting techniques. The collection weaves together her figurative and abstract interpretations.

Seħer il-Baħar, curated by Roderick Camilleri, runs at Palazzo de la Salle, Valletta, until November 24. Opening hours: Mondays to Fridays: 8am to 7pm and on Saturdays: 9am to 1pm. For more information, visit artsmalta.org or the society's Facebook page.

Read more about the exhibition here.

Works by Anna Galea on display at Palazzo de la Salle in Valletta. Photo: Facebook/Anna Galea ArtWorks by Anna Galea on display at Palazzo de la Salle in Valletta. Photo: Facebook/Anna Galea Art

Abstract Trio

An exhibition showcasing the works of three abstract artists, namely Louis Casha, Lucio Dubini and Vincent Cassar, is open at the Volunteer Centre in Triq Bartolomew in Rabat.

From the geometrical abstractions of Casha to Dubini’s interactions of lines, shapes and material and on to Cassar’s freedom in execution, the exhibition explores the possibilities of abstraction via different routes.

Abstract Trio runs until November 25. Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 5 to 8pm; Saturday and Sunday from 10.30am to 1pm and from 4 to 8pm. Other hours are also available by appointment. Log on to the exhibition’s Facebook page for more information.

YFES

<em>Verdant </em>by Jo DounisVerdant by Jo Dounis

Jo Dounis is presenting a new body of work at Gemelli Framing in Ta' Qali.

YFES is the Greek word for textures (hinting at the artist’s many years of her living in Greece) emphasises the current way forward for Dounis.

From the smooth and flowing finish of fluid art which Dounis is mostly known for, the artist is pursuing a completely different direction in technique. She explores a variety of textures to create tactile works which portray an idyllic place or space in time. No human figures are present, and these pristine landscapes, seascapes, spaces or atmospheres, created from the artist's imagination and harmonious manipulation of colour and light, emit a surreal feeling of being transported into an alternative, Utopian world.

YFES, curated by Melanie Erixon, runs until November 26. Log on to the exhibition’s Facebook page for more information.

What is Europe to You?

A photographic exhibition at the German-Maltese Circle, in Palazzo Messina, Valletta, is the result of an artist's need to understand how European citizens feel about Europe.

Lisa Borgiani has been visiting the principal European cities and capitals since 2019, asking the inhabitants she photographs a simple question: "What is Europe to you?". 

The exhibition, which runs until November 30, sees 30 selected photographs and 200 black and white self-portraits of the project's participants.

Each visitor is invited to participate in the project in two ways: at the exhibition they can use the WEYWALL digital platform to print and exhibit their own self-portrait accompanied by a comment expressing their feelings about Europe, or they can write a phrase about Europe on a brightly coloured Post-It, which they can then stick on a dedicated wall.

For more information, visit https://www.whatseurope.eu/ and the project's Instagram account.

A photo on display at the exhibition <em>What is Europe to You</em>. Photo: Lisa BorgianiA photo on display at the exhibition What is Europe to You. Photo: Lisa Borgiani

Q’eros: Beyond the Clouds

Il-Ħaġar Museum and Community Cultural Centre in Victoria is hosting an exhibition by Italian photographer Alessandro Bergamini until November 27.

Eight of the photos on display won Bergamimi the Travel Photographer of the Year award in 2021 and five more were included in the book Humanity, which was chosen as the best photographic book for 2021 in the International Photography Awards.

They will be accompanied with some 30 photos documenting the demanding Peru expedition earlier this year among the Q'eros community in the Andes. Visitors will be able to follow the filming on their mobile.

All the material is included in the exhibition catalogue, published as Il-Ħaġar GEMS 21. Also available are copies of Humanity, an assortment of photos highlighting peoples around the world.

The museum is open every day from 9am to 5pm. Entrance is free. For more information, visit heartofgozo.org.mt/.

Celebrating Our History A Photographic Exhibition 

This month, The Phoenicia Malta turns 75 years old. As part of its celebrations, a photographic exhibition is being held at the Palm Court Lounge.

The exhibition includes the first plans of the hotel, photos of the construction process, the original decor and of distinguished guests who stayed at the hotel.

The exhibition runs until the end of November.

A collection of charcoal drawings and hand-crafted objects

An artwork by CO-MA on display at Green Shutters in Floriana.An artwork by CO-MA on display at Green Shutters in Floriana.

A collection of charcoal drawings and objects by self-taught and self-proclaimed anti-social artist CO-MA is opening today at Green Shutters of 27, Triq San Franġisk, Floriana.

The artist's work has no frills but contrasts living in the world of black and white. He is also a “collector of nice things” which are broken down into their primary parts and find themselves in the new objects he builds. The result are pieces that are at once functional, intriguing and otherworldly.

The exhibition runs until December 3. For more information, see www.coma-artist.com and follow Lily Agius Gallery on Instagram and Facebook.

Inaction is a Weapon of Mass Destruction

Artist Darren Tanti is presenting an art project meant to shed light on the mediatic processes used to spread information about war and its effects on the viewer.

The work reflects the artist’s preoccupation with fabrication, editing and twisting of information people outside the conflict zone might be subjected to.

The project is meant to provoke viewers by a number of analytical, ironic, and at times, cynical works based on factual, fictional images and theoretical work. Different experts from journalism, film, art, education and the military fields will also contribute to the project via a number of talks and workshops.

Inaction is a Weapon of Mass Destruction, curated by Melanie Erixon is open at Space C, Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta, and at Il-Kamra ta' Fuq, Mqabba, until December 4.

Consult the project’s Facebook page for more information.

Gabarrón: The Colours of Hope

Spazju Kreattiv is hosting an exhibition by Spanish artist Cristóbal Gabarrón dedicated to the United Nations, with his work focusing on the universe of peace, parliamentarism, freedom and human rights. 

Apart from the main exhibition, the project also includes a public installation at St George's Square, Valletta, entitled Universo de Luz (Enlightened Universe), and an AMBIT event at Ġgantija Temples, Xagħra, that brought together artistic creations on biodiversity and the values of integral heritage that will travel the five continents.

The exhibition, curated by Rupert Cefai, runs until December 11. For more information, visit kreattivita.org.

An artwork by Crist&oacute;bal &nbsp;Gabarr&oacute;n on display at <em>Spazju Kreattiv</em>. Photo: Audrey Rose MizziAn artwork by Cristóbal  Gabarrón on display at Spazju Kreattiv. Photo: Audrey Rose Mizzi

OTHER EXHIBITIONS

Sunetti: Minn Fomm u Qalb il-Poplu

Malta Libraries is holding an exhibition on Maltese sonnets at the National Library of Malta in Valletta.

The exhibition will be accompanied by two lectures on the subject. The second one will see Olvin Vella looking into ‘Is-sunett ta’ Buonamico li għosfor mitt sena ilu’ (the sonnet of Buonamico which disappeared 100 years ago) on December 1 at 6pm.

The exhibition will be open to the public, free of charge, until the end of December. One may visit between Monday and Friday from 8.30am to 4.30pm and on Saturdays from 8.30am to 12.30pm.

The exhibition catalogue and a sonnet written specifically for the occasion and printed on silk (limited edition of 100) are available for sale from the Reading Room.

Dumnikani fil-Palazz: Home & Temple

An exhibition at the Inquisitor's Palace in Vittoriosa tells of the special relationship between the palace and the neighbouring Dominican Order, especially in the post-war years.

Enemy war bombing in 1941 had left the Dominican community without a convent and a church, and they found temporary refuge beyond Vittoriosa. But they were called back by the need to fulfil their spiritual and educational mission among their people.

Eighty years ago, in August 1942, the Dominicans asked for temporary shelter at the Inquisitor’s Palace and, for almost two decades, the palace became the community’s home and temple.

The exhibition runs until January 8. The Inquisitor's Palace is open weekly from Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 4.30pm.

An artefact on display at the <em>Dumnikani fil-Palazz: Home &amp; Temple</em> exhibition. Photo: DOI/Jason BorgAn artefact on display at the Dumnikani fil-Palazz: Home & Temple exhibition. Photo: DOI/Jason Borg

Honor Frost’s Malta: A Pioneer in the Centre of the Mediterranean

An exhibition highlighting underwater archaeologist Honor Frost’s connection to Malta has opened at the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta.

Besides honouring Frost’s considerable legacy, the exhibition aims to offer a snapshot of Frost’s work in Malta through illustrations, artefacts and even some of her diving equipment.

The exhibition runs until January 15. Entrance is free of charge. The museum is open daily from 9am to 4.30pm. 

The exhibition launch coincides with the second edition of the ‘Under the Mediterranean’ conference, being held in Malta until Sunday, November 6. The conference is organised by University of Malta, in collaboration with the Honor Frost Foundation and Heritage Malta.

whatson@timesofmalta.com

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.