ARTS FESTIVALS
APS Summer Festival
The third edition of the APS Summer Festival kicks off today at the University of Malta Msida campus.
Local alternative rock band Beangrowers will perform this evening, while Puerto Flamenco will be presenting the show Entre Nosotros tomorrow.
The New Victorians will perform on Friday, supported by a number of other female artists, namely Hannah, Jolen Samhan and Ceci&Kris.
The event Qamar/Qabar Poetry in Sight and Sound, featuring visual interventions by Austin Camilleri, music by Alex Vella Gregory and soprano Miriam Cauchi, will take place on Saturday, while Gozitan band Kantera will perform on Sunday.
The festival runs until July 31. For more information and tickets, visit www.apsbank.com.mt/aps-summer-festival-2022 and the event’s Facebook page.
MCAST ICA Festival 2022
MCAST’s Institute for the Creative Arts has turned its annual exhibition into an arts festival, with the aim of reaching out to the community.
The festival is celebrating creativity and is acting as a platform to showcase the students’ hard work and collaboration with relative stakeholders in the industry.
The event, which runs until July 31 at Spazju Kreattiv in Valletta, includes a fine art exhibition, interactive media and a game art networking event, photography and graphic design.
For more details, visit https://icafestival.com/, the event’s Facebook page and www.kreattivita.org/en/event/mcast-ica-festival-2022/.
THEATRE
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
The Manoel Theatre is presenting its first in-house musical theatre production of the highly acclaimed dark musical.
With music and lyrics by Stephan Sondheim and a book by Hugh Wheeler, the musical features Roger Tirazona in the title role. The cast also includes Kateriana Fenech, Ryan Grech, Jasmine Farrugia, Stephen Oliver and Noel Zarb.
The production is directed by Lucienne Camilleri, while Ryan Abela is the music director.
The musical is being staged until Sunday, July 24. For more information and tickets, visit www.teatrumanoel.com.mt and the theatre’s Facebook page.
The Merry Wives of Windsor (Terrace)
Shakespearean shenanigans are currently unfolding at San Anton Gardens, with the Malta Amateur Dramatic Club’s (MADC) hilarious The Merry Wives of Windsor (Terrace).
Directed by Chris Gatt and set in the eponymous Sliema street in the late 1970s − early 1980s, The Merry Wives of Windsor (Terrace) follows the pathetic attempts of Sir John Falstaff (Edward Thorpe), a fallen knight of the garter, to woo housewives Margaret Ford and Alice Page (Kim Dalli and Antonella Axisa).
The play is being staged at San Anton Gardens until Sunday, July 24, with performances starting at 8.30pm. This production is supported by Arts Council Malta and is suitable for audiences aged 8 and over. For more information and tickets, visit the event’s Facebook page and www.madc.com.mt.
Alex Weenink and Nicole Sciberras in The Merry Wives of Windsor Terrace. Photo: Justin Mamo PhotographyScreening of Prima Facie
English actress Jodie Comer (Killing Eve and Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker) makes her West End debut in the UK premiere of playwright Suzie Miller’s award-winning play Prima Facie.
The play, directed by Justin Martin, is being broadcast live across cinemas internationally via National Theatre Live from the Harold Pinter Theatre in London’s West End.
It follows a young barrister, Tessa (Comer), who has climbed up the social ladder from her working-class origins to make it to the top of her game. However, an unexpected event forces her to confront the lines where the patriarchal power of the law, burden of proof and morals diverge.
Prima Facie, certified 15, will be screened at the Spazju Kreattiv cinema in Valletta today at 7.30pm. For tickets, click here.
Jodie Comer in Prima Facie. Photo: Craig Sugden PhotographyOTHER EVENTS
Malta Fashion Week & Awards
Malta Fashion Week is taking place between today and Friday at the Grand Harbour Terrace, on the rooftop of the Mediterranean Conference Centre, in Valletta.
Established local and international fashion brands and upcoming ones will be exhibiting their latest collections.
Today will feature shows by Ferreira Couture (South Africa), Bajja and Parascandalo.
Tomorrow, Morfium (Serbia) and local brands Blakkript and James Dimech, will hit the runway, while Gagliardi, Nadya Dzyak (Ukraine), Charles & Ron will present their latest creations on Friday.
Visit fashionweek.com.mt for more information and tickets.
Models walking down the catwalk of a previous edition of Malta Fashion Week. Photo: Justin CiapparaLogos Hope in Grand Harbour
Logos Hope, the world’s largest floating book fair, is currently docked in Grand Harbour. It offers over 5,000 books covering a wide range of subjects, including science, sports, hobbies, cookery, arts, medicine, languages and faith.
The ship is open to the public at the Valletta Cruise Port as follows: Tuesday through Friday and Sunday: 3pm-10pm; Saturdays: 10am-1pm, 3-10pm. It is closed on Mondays.
Entrance fee for 13-64 years old is €1 per person, while adults 65 and over enter for free. Children under 12 years old enter for free but must be accompanied by an adult.
EXHIBITIONS
Strange Days
An exhibition of fine art prints and paintings by Australian artist Christian Palmer runs at the new gallery Green Shutters, 27, St Thomas Street, Floriana, until Saturday, July 23. For more details, follow the Facebook page Lily Agius Gallery.
Something About You
A 10-year survey exhibition by Marinella Senatore at Blitz in Valletta brings together paintings, drawings, videos, a powerful project with Russian protest group Pussy Riot featuring a new organic site-specific sculpture, and a public artwork on the historical façade of Valletta’s Casino Maltese.
The exhibition culminated in the public performance The School of Narrative Dance on June 30, which featured over 100 participants from local groups and communities, and a dance movement in Republic Street, Valletta, in memory of murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
The exhibition runs until Saturday, July 23. For more information, visit https://blitzvalletta.com/.
Humanity at War: Reflections
A photographic exhibition capturing the human side of war by photojournalists Darrin Zammit Lupi and Heidi Levine is on at the Malta Enterprise offices in Pietà.
Curated by Pamela Baldacchino, it features photos of conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, Israel, Libya and Bosnia.
Funds raised will go towards Ukrainian refugees in Malta and the building of ‘Becs’ Junior Secondary school in Ethiopia, in memory of 15-year-old Rebecca Zammit Lupi who died in 2021 from a rare form of cancer.
The exhibition runs until Saturday, July 23. It is open between Monday and Friday from 9am to noon and from 6 to 8pm, and on Saturdays and Sundays from 6-8pm.
Connections
Contemporary artworks by Alfred Camilleri are on display at MUŻA, Valletta, until Sunday, July 24. Opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Visit the museum’s Facebook page for more information.
Xlendi Valley by Debbie Bonello on display at Il-Ħaġar Museum, Victoria.Whereabouts
An exhibition of works by Debbie Bonello and Andrew Borg is on at Il-Ħaġar Museum, Victoria, until July 25. The museum is open daily from Monday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Visit the museum’s Facebook page for more information and updates.
Let Me Be Myself
The international Anne Frank exhibition is on display at Il-Ħaġar Museum, Victoria, until July 25. The museum is open daily from Monday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm. Visit the museum’s Facebook page for more information and updates.
City Lights – A Charles Gatt Retrospective
Best known as a musician and jazz percussionist, the late Charles ‘City’ Gatt also loved to paint. The Phoenicia, in Floriana, is hosting a retrospective exhibition of his colourful, abstract works at the hotel’s Palm Court Lounge until July 31. The exhibition is curated by Charlene Vella.
Ritrarti
A photography and art exhibition by Silvana Camilleri and Charles Vassallo runs at Ċentru Pastorali Sgħajtar, Triq il-Lanġas, Naxxar, until July 31. Consult the event’s Facebook page for opening hours.
Bathers and Sails
An exhibition of works by Norwegian artist Olaug Vethal, who lived in Malta between 1996 until her death in 2007, runs at Christine X Art Gallery in Tigné Street, Sliema, until August 5.
The gallery is open from Monday to Friday from 10am to 1pm, and from 4 to 7pm, and on Saturdays from 10am to 1pm.
For more information, visit www.christinexart.com and the Christine X Art Gallery Facebook page.
Gossip Under the Sun by Olaug Vethal. Photo: Courtesy of Christine X Art GalleryColour Blocking
A colourful stone sculpture exhibition by Antoine Farrugia is open to the public at the Phoenicia Hotel Deep Nature Spa.
Harboured
An exhibition of watercolour works by Sarah Calleja inspired by the Grand Harbour and its stories is on at Il-Kamra ta’ Fuq in Mqabba until August 15.
The gallery is open weekly from Mondays to Saturdays from 6am to noon and on Sundays from 7am to noon. More evening hours are announced weekly on Il-Kamra ta’ Fuq Facebook page.
Prehistoric pottery making
An exhibition presenting the results of a scientific investigation of materials and techniques used in pottery making during Maltese prehistory is open at the National Museum of Archaeology. The exhibition runs until the end of August. Opening hours: Monday to Sunday from 9am to 4.30pm.
whatson@timesofmalta.com