The national theatre company has called for artists to send through project proposals announcing those approved would be advanced half the fees needed as a way of keeping artists’ lifeline going.

Teatru Depożit is one of three initiatives launched on Friday to mark World Theatre Day by Culture Minister Jose Herrera and Teatru Malta director Sean Buhagiar to help those in the cultural sector cope with job loss.

“This is a particularly difficult time for people working in the cultural sector and theatre. However, we will be taking theatre to the people anyway, even though not through the usual sites,” said Herrera.

Through Teatru Depożit, professional artists will be able to get financed upfront for half the costs of projects they will be carrying out in the future.

The other two initiatives are TeleTeatru which involves showing theatre projects online and on television, and Kwarta Kwarantina where artists upload short videos on social media to share with people.

“We have never experienced such difficult times for theatre in our lifetime. However, now more than ever is when we need and appreciate the magic of theatre, as we see more and more people becoming increasingly appreciative of the arts,” explained Buhagiar. 

Shows such as Teatru Malta’s large scale production VII will start being broadcast Saturday on social platforms and through a collaboration with PBS.