The lack of adequate venues for musicians and other performing artists has been the subject of much head-scratching in recent years, but as authorities seek solutions, performers are increasingly turning to an answer that has been hiding in plain sight all along.

Many localities across Malta boast their own village theatres, built in a heyday that is now long past. Many have since been converted to new uses, others host bingo and other social events and some lie dilapidated, while a few still serve as home to local performing groups.

For established bands looking for performance spaces off the beaten track, these venues are an attractive, off-beat, proposition.

Indie-folk band Stalko were one of the first in recent years to perform in the Orpheum Theatre in Gżira, a majestic art nouveau venue, currently owned by the Labour Party, that had fallen into disuse, and is since experiencing a major revival.

For their upcoming album launch this Saturday, the band has turned to the Palace Theatre in Paola, built in 1962 by Dom Mintoff and designed by influential artist Emvin Cremona.

From a theatre for the community, we’re becoming a theatre for the nation

“We didn’t even know it was there before a friend mentioned it in passing,” says Tim Ellis, the band’s vocalist. “The place is really well kept and has a lot of history; for us, it adds something to the performance.

“It’s a real waste if places like this aren’t used. Many need refurbishment or lack the equipment you need, but people have shown that they’re more ready to move out of ‘safe’ spaces.”

It may be unfair to refer to such theatres as ‘forgotten’, given locals have always been aware of their existence, but for the artistic community and the broader public, venues that were seen as unfashionable until very recently are quickly coming back into vogue.

“From a theatre for the community, we’re becoming a theatre for the nation,” says James Spiteri, creative director of the Salesian Theatre in Sliema.

“While keeping the community aspects alive, we’re now targeting the whole country.”

In the last few years, the Salesian Theatre has radically repositioned itself, from a small local theatre to hosting performances from mainstream Maltese and international artists, including most recently the Globe Theatre.

The public has taken to the new direction with enthusiasm, and Mr Spiteri believes the shift is part of a broader trend in art and culture towards rediscovering Maltese roots and heritage. “Our history is one of the foundations of our cultural identity; to the Maltese, the relevance of history to our everyday lives is becoming very important,” he says.

“The reason there are all these theatres to begin with is that in the 1920s and 1930s, there were a lot of touring theatre companies. There was a big boom, then most of the theatres became cinemas, which died when TV came in.”

Cinema itself has not shied away from the trend: Kinemastik, a local film club which hosts an annual short film festival, has held events everywhere from the Porte des Bombes underpass to the City Lights adult cinema in Valletta.

“It’s always been a conscious choice,” says founder Slavko Vukanovic. “We want to shed some light on forgotten and neglected places in Malta and perhaps show them in a more beautiful state. People always seem to enjoy coming to such places, probably for this reason.”

Now artists believe more should be done to push the encouraging trend further and help such venues reclaim the limelight.

Stalko’s Mr Ellis suggests the government should make better use of the venues in its possession, and offer incentives for those venues in private hands.

Mr Vukanovic, meanwhile, be-lieves organisations should be helped to acquire permits to host artistic events, an often difficult undertaking: “There should definitely be more of these venues opened up for artists to explore. Most venues have been eaten up by commercial ventures, leaving very little space for artistic ones.”