"The first performance of a Greek play in the island’s history" : classical drama in Malta in the late 1940s

Abstract

The years following the Second World War witnessed a growth of enthusiasm for the classical world in the Maltese cultural and academic scenarios. “The classical spirit seems to have invaded the University”, declared the Times of Malta (henceforth Times) in 1947. Set up in the previous year, the Malta branch of the London-based “Virgil Society” had assumed a leading role in fomenting a new classical awareness. Most significantly, the Virgil Society branch in Malta undertook a very practical interest in the theatrical values and aesthetics of classical drama, a highly innovative experience for an island with a theatre tradition consisting mainly of Italian opera, vaudeville, and the village farce. As a result, the Maltese stage enjoyed five classical plays between 1947 and 1950. Three of these representations were produced by the Virgil Society, and two by the British Institute (B. I.) Players. This paper will look at the five productions, basing its content on memoirs and contemporary newspaper reviews.