Theatre-making in Malta at the turn of the twenty-first century : influences and practices

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to map the theatre-making territory in Malta around the turn of the twenty-first century. To do this, I first look at key theatre-making developments evident at the turn into the new millennium. I then shift my attention to the unique socio-political context in Malta during the same time period to reflect on the local theatre-making scenario. This will be followed by an appraisal of theatre-making processes and performances by three Maltese theatre groups – Theatre Anon, Dù Theatre, and Grokk Teatru – in order to elaborate on how global and local influences at the turn of the century affected the working methods and interests of Maltese theatre makers. In this respect, ‘influences’ include both artistic procedures – i.e. styles, methodologies, creative techniques, and artistic references – as well as philosophies, socio-political phenomena, and cultural traditions. Understanding the context of these influences is central to the scope of my study, since, as I seek to underline with my reflections, artistic work is very much a product of the context within which it is created. The final decades of a century and the first few of the next – commonly referred to as ‘the turn’ – are often an interesting time for critical observation and analysis. The turn of the twenty-first century is no exception, due mainly to how digital technologies and the socio-political phenomena associated with them began to root themselves in our everyday lives and artistic practices. For Malta, it was also the first turn of a century as an independent nation, something which undoubtedly informed the kind of work being created and its thematic content. In order to articulate this, I draw on the work of theatre scholars and practitioners including Hans-Thies Lehmann and his postdramatic paradigm, Eugenio Barba and his theatre-making strategies, Patrice Pavis and his perception of mise-en-scène, and Vicki Ann Cremona’s and Marco Galea’s observations regarding politics and post-colonial theatre in Malta.