Dr Isabelle Gatt, a lecturer from the Department of Arts, Open Communities and Adult Education, has just concluded a 9-week rehearsal schedule with a group of students from Santa Teresa Middle School, B’kara to put up Romeo u Ġuljetta.
This was one of six productions in this year’s children’s national theatre festival Trikki Trakki organised by Teatru Malta. Through this Festival, students get the chance to work with leading theatre directors to produce new adaptations of popular theatre classics. This was the third year running since the festival’s inception that Dr Gatt was chosen to work as one of the directors.
“For the vast majority of the students I worked with this year, this was their first experience for them acting on stage for the general public and I feel privileged to have been part of this process with them and to see the positive impact this has had on them individually and as a group. Working on projects with schools is key to my lecturing in teacher formation at University; it enriches and informs my lecturing and drama workshops, keeping me grounded and aware of certain possibilities as well as the challenges teachers face in teaching today’s youth with the present educational system. ”
Isabelle runs the Masters in teaching and learning (MTL) in Drama and Theatre Education and the Creativity and the Arts lectures for the MTL Primary and B.A. ECEC.