Politics and identity in Maltese theatre : adaptation or innovation?

Abstract

The period from the 1960s to the 1990s was one of great political change in Malta. Up until its independence in 1964, Malta had been under foreign domination, and this new political direction meant change in the way the Maltese saw and governed themselves. Theatre during this period expressed this emerging new identity. Looking at theatre and political protest during this period reveals that in contrast to the more politically engaged post-independence theatre, recent Maltese theatre is relatively unchanging, perhaps due to a more general decline in political involvement.