Programme Notes

Penned by the author and poet Immanuel Mifsud, Dik Is-Sigra f’Nofs ta’ Triq, is a promenade performance that tells the story of one particular street where everybody knows everybody, and everybody knows everything, or not quite everything, but almost. The pressures and false promises of progress are weighing heavily on the community and the majestic tree that crowns the middle of this long and winding road. An old tree which rumour has it, was there much before the road itself. Has the tree become an inconvenience? We fret so. Or so we hear, from some, but not all. Mifsud taps into this age-old story of tension between past and present, giving us a story, which is both real and metaphorical, brimming with magical realism. Filled with fantastical characters and a cast of over 20 performers, this show is a rollercoaster of emotions promising magical visuals, acrobatics, memorable songs, heart-felt emotion and a truly unique experience.

Biographies

Immanuel Mifsud – Writer

Apart from the church hall and school, it was at Ateatru in Tignè where Immanuel Mifsud started his theatrical career when in 1986 he directed his own double bill. At the university he directed Andorra by Max Frisch and then, at the chapel in Tignè he directed Yerma by Frederico Garcia Lorca, and A Kind of Alaska and Landscape (in pitch blackness) by Harold Pinter. Eventually he established It-Teatru tal-Għomja which presented collective works for the Mediterranean Festival of Collective Theatre (1990 and 1992). Between 1995 and 2000 he taught at the school of drama. In the same years he established and worked with Teatru Marta Kwitt which was the first theatrical group that took part in Edinburgh’s fringe (1999). Together with this group, in which he was a resident in what was previously known as MITP (today the Valletta Campus), he produced Mistoqsijiet lill-Qamar, Ilma (Malta, Edinburgh) and Bakki (Malta and Sarajevo). He also directed Oleanna by David Mamet for the International Society for Contemporary Literature and Theatre in Germany. Mifsud translated and directed Seagull by Anton Chekohov into Maltese and Ippermettili Nitlaq by Alfred Buttigieg.

Chris Gatt – Director

Chris Gatt has been theatre-mad ever since his parents bought him a set of glove puppets. From there he eventually graduated to working with human actors, although many believe his best work was in the puppet world where he should probably have remained. Over the last thirty-five years he has presented himself to a theatre-going public in the guise of either actor or director with considerable effect. It is said that critics have yet to decide what that effect actually is. When not working the boards, he can usually be found staring at his ever-growing pile of papers needing sorting currently sitting atop his work desk.

Theatre Anon 

Paul Portelli 

Veteran actor, director Paul Portelli is also a founder member of local theatre company Theatre anon. He has performed extensively locally and abroad. This is Paul’s second production with Teatru Malta.

Pierre Stafrace

Pierre studied theatre at MTADA and the Riverside Studios, London and has played major roles in English and Maltese productions by MADC, Teatru Malta and Theatre anon. Pierre manages a wines and beverages organisation and is also active in the photography field.

Charlotte Grech

Charlotte Stafrace (Grech) is an experienced Maltese actress, creative practitioner, founding member of established theatre group Theatre Anon, and project manager of ACTive Age Malta. She has over two decades of active experience in the Maltese theatre scene including television and film work, and as a drama educator working with vulnerable populations including disabled children and older adults. She has, over the past five years, been working with older adults through ACTive Age Malta bringing together a dedicated blend of creative theatre, physical, and reminiscence work in the bid to enhance personal, emotional, social, and health dimensions.

Credits:

Director: Christopher Gatt

Assistant Director & Performer: Paul Portelli

Set Designer & Maker: Jennings Falzon

Props Design & Makers: Theatre Anon

Movement Director & Performer: Sandra Mifsud

Musical Director & Composer: Albert Garcia

Musicians: Tatjana Chircop & Raquel Sammut

Costume Design & Making: Theatre Anon

Performers: Charlotte Formosa, Eva Mallia Consiglio, Jamie Cardona, Sarah Vella, Marjan Attard, Daniela Carabott Pawley. Matthias Camilleri, Nadine Farrugia, Nicole Mangion, Charlotte Stafrace, Pierre Stafrace, Liliana Portelli, Justin Galea, Douglas Comley

Produced by Teatru Malta in collaboration with Malta International Arts Festival