The Manoel Theatre in Valletta on Friday welcomed its first audiences since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic earlier this year.

The theatre hosted a recital by soprano Nicola Said of chamber music by Samuel Barber, Arthur Bliss, and Alban Berg. Said was accompanied by musicians Nadine Galea, Christine Zerafa, Stefan Calleja, Godfrey Mifsud, and Desiree Quintano.

Audience members sat in small groups in the theatre's boxes and distantly spaced out in the stalls. Temperatures were checked at the door and audience members wore face-masks throughout, as did the performing musicians. 

The recital was the first performance of the theatre's new programme, which will also include the contemporary dance piece Roots by Moveo Dance Company, a promenade theatre performance based on Bocaccio's Decamaron, and a physical theatre performance entitled WTC. 

The performing arts have been among the sectors hardest hit by the pandemic, with only a handful of mostly outdoor performances since March. 

The Manoel Theatre was forced to postpone the large part of its programme, replacing planned shows with a Streaming Series of past performances and an online programme of new work.