At a time when the word ‘positive’ is instantly associated with the number of COVID-19 cases announced daily on the local media, the title of a new contemporary play premiering today  refers to another type of diagnosis.

Il-Pożittivi is tackling the socie­tal stigma surrounding people who live with HIV in Malta. It is the first play in Maltese to do so and is inspired by true stories of individuals who took part in interviews conducted as part of the research project.

But why choose this particular time and title to stage it?

The play has actually been in the works for two years, that is, before the pandemic struck,  however, director Toni Attard explains that COVID-19 has confirmed “why stigmatisation on HIV needed to be addressed”.

“During the pandemic, some people living with HIV were forced to disclose their status to their employers because they were listed in the vulnerable group, thus justifying why working remotely was a priority for them,” he says.

“There’s also uncanny parallelism to the stigma experienced by those who were positive to COVID and the day-to-day stigma faced by people living with HIV.

“It was also during the pandemic that we heard of crowd sourcing for HIV medication since it was out of stock and NGOs served as intermediaries because most people living with HIV Malta still feared discrimination for speaking out publicly about their status and lack of medication.”

From left, actors Chris Vincent, Josette Ciappara and Ray CallejaFrom left, actors Chris Vincent, Josette Ciappara and Ray Calleja

He adds that having ‘positive’ as the title of a play also draws on the constant bombardment of positive and negative cases we heard since the onset of the pandemic.

“In this play, the implications of ‘positive’ question whether it is possible to remain positive after you’ve just received a positive diagnosis,” he continues.

The director believes there is still a lot of misinformation on HIV in Malta, which he attributes to overall poor sexual education and stigma dating from the 1980s. The research conducted by the Malta Gay Rights Movement indeed revealed the concerns, as well as aspirations, of the participants.

Attard describes some of their stories as “heart-breaking” as they exposed daily challenges from talking openly about one’s status, be it with partners, family members or colleagues, to the fear of being discriminated against for doing so. He says that some stories also exposed shocking situations of stigmatisation even within the health service.

“However, there were also some comical anecdotes and other beautiful stories of love, acceptance and inspiration,” he says.

“Above all, I was particularly struck by the desire to connect with others and the desire to create a play that dealt with the serious subject in a humorous way and that showed how life continues positively.”

Playwright Simon Bartolo thus weaved the real-life experiences with six fictitious characters who are very different from one another but end up connected by the very condition they all have in common.

Stephen Mintoff with Chris VincentStephen Mintoff with Chris Vincent

Stage veteran Josette Ciappara plays a 60-year-old woman who has been living with HIV for the past 28 years. She’s happy, easy-going and, above all, she has a positive outlook towards life.

“Is it possible to remain positive when you’ve just received a positive diagnosis? Just ask Susan and she’ll tell you,” Attard says.

During a routine hospital visit, she makes two new friends but she would have never guessed what fate had in store for her.

“The situations the six characters find themselves in result in an emotional rollercoaster full of high highs and low lows,” the director notes.

“As their stories unfold, the laughs and tears just keep on coming, from a chemsex party where it all begins to the birthday party where it all comes to a screeching halt, this play is about love, relationships, friendships, anger, happiness betrayal and, above all, hope.”

The cast also includes Ray Calleja, Clare Agius, Stephen Mintoff, Benjamin Abela and Danish actor and HIV activist Chris Vincent.

Danish actor Chris Vincent has spoken openly about his status living with HIV.Danish actor Chris Vincent has spoken openly about his status living with HIV.

“Chris Vincent was the person who triggered this production. As president of the NGO Checkpoint Malta, he wanted to work with Maltese theatre makers to do exactly what we set out to achieve. He’s Danish, spent some time living in Malta and the only person so far who has spoken openly about his status living with HIV. He also happens to be an actor and learnt some Maltese along the way – making this very useful for his role as performer in a Maltese play,” Attard enthuses.

The play is premiering this evening at 8pm after a long and intense process and the cast and crew are all very excited. The director explains that the staging of the production was postponed twice due to COVID-19 restrictions. The positive side to this was that they used the extended time to discuss and dissect each and every line.

“The play ended up with 13 drafts, with the very patient Simon amending the dialogue during our Zoom rehearsals and workshops,” he says.

Having actors rehearse online for the first part of the process was also very challenging.

“This was not only because of technological mishaps along the way but because the play is based on very personal and intimate conversations between characters. However, the preparatory work online really made the in-person rehearsal magical and special. After months of virtual rehearsals, the actors were beyond excited to share the same rehearsal room and bring their characters to life,”  Attard continues.

Benjamin Abela and Clare AgiusBenjamin Abela and Clare Agius

“The complexity of the staging itself also made rehearsals very technical. I really wanted the audience to zoom into their lives and decided to have the action within a few square metres to create a more intense, intimate environment created by set designer Aldo Moretti and set builder Claudio Apap.”

Suitable for audiences aged 15 and over, the play will have English subtitles and will be available on demand until June 30. It features videography by Kevin Kiomall, light design by Chris Gatt and sound design by Michael Quinton.

“If you love a good play in Maltese with a good dose of comedy and drama triggered by love, relationships, friendships, anger and betrayal, performed by some of Malta’s finest actors, Il-Pożittivi is not to be missed,” Attard recommends.

“Watching it will probably challenge your own stigmas and give you a different perspective about HIV. In addition, you will help spread some much-needed positivity and support the arts and artists during these challenging times.”

The play is produced by Culture Venture within the project Acting on the Margins: Art as Social Sculpture (AMASS), partnered in Malta by the Department of Arts, Open Communities and Adult Education at the Faculty of Education of the University of Malta. AMASS has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Il-Pożittivi is supported by the Malta Gay Rights Movement and Arts Council Malta, among other sponsors. For tickets, visit https://watch.eventive.org/kreattivita/play/609a4c624d34210069ac91d0.

Josette CiapparaJosette Ciappara

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.