Malta needs an opera house, says leading dancer

As official pronouncements continue to point to a House of Parliament being built on the site of the former Royal Opera House in Valletta, one of Malta's leading dancers is in favour of constructing another opera house.

Last year the government had indicated its preference for an Lm18 million project that would include a Parliament building and in a recent public meeting Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi reaffirmed this notion.

Felix Busuttil is one of the founders of YADA Dance Company. His comments were sought following remarks he made at YADA's annual performance involving 280 students.

"Telling the public we have enough theatres sends the wrong message, he told The Times. "Theatres are places where people express creativity. They are an investment in building the nation's character.

"Every city in the world has an opera house. Even Cairo and little Caribbean islands have an opera house. We are so close to cultured European cities, yet we do not have one," Mr Busuttil said.

He said the Mediterranean Conference Centre, in Valletta was never built as a theatre but as a conference centre. And the Manoel Theatre was too small to stage an opera.

"We have no large stages and have a medium-sized auditorium. We need to have a theatre with a stage twice as big as that of the MCC, with proper technical and backstage facilities and an auditorium with the right acoustics.

"It hurts to hear government spokesmen say that we do not need another theatre. The main excuse is that it does not generate enough money. That's rather ironic when one considers how many other institutions there are that do not make money," Mr Busuttil said.

An on-line opinion poll carried out by The Times last October showed that just over 58 per cent were against building a new Parliament on the site, with the rest in favour.

Most of the former said old building materials and designs should be used so that the building would blend in with other structures in the city.

Among those who argued against, many had objections over the cost in view of Malta's financial problems.

Valletta mayor Paul Borg Olivier had declared he believed it would be better to restore upper and lower Fort St Elmo to house Parliament and erect cultural amenities.

Contacted yesterday, Dr Borg Olivier said although using the opera house site for the House of Parliament was a "positive idea", one could not help underline the importance St Elmo had both for Valletta and Malta.

"St Elmo shaped the fate of Valletta. Without it and St Angelo, our history and our identity would be different from who and what we are today as a nation and a people.

"If Parliament were to be set up in St Elmo, it would be sending three clear messages: the Parliament's obligation to history and heritage through restoration; its firm vision in favour of the people by opening up a war machine for the public and democracy, reflecting a contemporary civil society; and its serious commitment to serve as the catalyst for social and economic growth in the lower parts of the city, integrating this area in the regeneration process of Valletta."

When the former Labour government had proposed that the opera house site should be used primarily for commercial purposes, the Valletta local council had organised a local referendum, with voters deciding in favour of a cultural use for the site.