There are many examples in literature and the various art spheres that show that the creative spirit goes into overdrive when such cataclysms as pandemics strike at the heart of civilisation.
The Black Death of the 14th-century decimated Europe’s population and contributed to the emergence of the Renaissance in Italy and other parts of Europe.
Giovanni Bocaccio’s concept for The Decameron emerged in the aftermath of this tragedy. The 100 tales that are thematically wide ranging are fictionally narrated by the seven young women and the three young men who sought refuge from the pandemic in a villa outside Florence as the city’s population endured the devastation in the wake of the plague.
Fast forward to the 20th century and to the Spanish Flu which compounded the inhuman tragedy that was World War I.
Erich Maria Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front is a touching novel that documents the terrors of those years endured by young soldiers whose youth had been stolen away while death beckoned each and every day through the combined effort of the war and the Spanish Flu pandemic.
The current COVID-19 situation surely provides inspiration for protagonists from the various artistic fields to document these days, weave anecdotes and essentially create works that have everyday life during these trying times as the central theme.
Dear Rona narrates personal accounts of love, loss, redemption and self-discovery
The Maltese play From Rona with Love is one such example.
Written by Marta Vella and directed by Petra Sant, Dear Rona is a collection of real-life stories shared by family and friends that happened over the nine weeks of partial lockdown in Malta.
Through juxtaposed monologues and duologues, it narrates personal accounts of love, loss, redemption and self-discovery.
Among the storylines, Emma breaks lockdown rules to go on a rebound rampage; a long marriage breaks down; Mike gets ghosted by his lover; a couple need to postpone their wedding; Martina is about to have her first baby during the pandemic; and Greta flies down before borders close to take care of her sick father.
The play, being staged at the Manoel Theatre in November, will be mostly in English with some Maltese.
Auditions will be held on Sunday, September 27 from 2.30pm onwards for the following cast which will be a diverse, inclusive, intergenerational cast of five (Malta-based) actors, some of whom will double in roles:
• Male role, playing age 35-50.
• Male role, playing age 25-35.
• Female role, playing age 35-40.
• Female role, playing age 25-35.
• Female role, playing age 30.
To apply for the audition, send a CV and headshot in a pdf document (maximum three pages) to info@teatrumanoel.mt by 1pm of September 22. Enter ‘From Rona with Love Audition’ in the e-mail subject field.
For the audition one will need to prepare a contemporary two to three-minute monologue that would suit the character one will be auditioning for.
Rehearsals will take place in the evenings, starting mid-October. Performance dates are November 27, 28 and 29.