Silent no more

How many people could honestly have said, only a few months ago, that they saw the Stitching debacle coming? Controversies regarding the banning of plays seemed like a thing of the past. Now, over the space of a few short weeks, issues of censorship, freedom of speech and the morality of art have become front-page news once again.
Whatever your opinion on the issue, what is undeniable is that the whole Stitching affair has pushed theatre into the public limelight more forcefully than anything else in years. Even people who have never set foot in a theatre are familiar with the details of the case, and possibly have their own strongly-held opinions on the matter – the old adage “all publicity is good publicity”, cliché though it may be, has never been more apt.
All of which means that Talenti theatrical company could not have chosen a better time to put up their latest production, Inċest.
Interest in edgy, controversial theatre has been consistently high over the past months – witness the well-received Unifaun production of Blasted last November – and the recent events have only served to strengthen this trend. Mario Micallef, Talenti’s founder and also the writer of this play, is justifiably confident that the production will generate a strong level of interest, both among the theatregoing crowd and among the public.
As its name implies, Inċest is an exploration of a delicate and troubling issue that is at once one of the oldest, strongest and most enduring of taboos and, in a number of guises, a pressing and unpleasant social reality. The plot follows four characters – Alfred, Lina, Ġorġ and Carol – as their lives intertwine upon Ġorġ’s return to Malta after 28 years. Their relationships – especially that of Ġorġ to his sister Lina – are, to a great extent, shaped by disturbing events in the past that the audience are not, at first, aware of.
Inċest has been a long-gestating project, and one that Mr Micallef clearly feels passionately about. “The plot has been in my mind for a very long time,” he says, “so much so that we had originally planned to put up a production last year. That didn’t happen, but the ideas remained clear in my mind.”
What finally spurred him to go ahead with the project, he explains, was his being made aware of a real-life situation which closely mirrored his plot. This, he says, gave him a new sense of urgency and made him decide that the time was ripe for the production to go ahead.
Though the resulting play is loosely based on real events, Mr Micallef insists that anyone seeing the production with the aim of uncovering the identities of the individuals involved will be disappointed. His intentions, he states, were not to offer a sensationalist thrill, but to hold up a mirror to a growing social problem.
“My aim in putting up this production was for the audience to leave the theatre knowing that this problem exists, and it exists right on our doorstep, even if we are not always conscious that the situation has reached such a level.
We might think that such cases are rare in Malta, but what has resulted from my research for the play is that such cases are not isolated.” Mr Micallef first approached veteran actor, writer and director Lino Grech and asked him to develop his ideas into a full script. Although Mr Grech declined for health reasons, he encouraged Mr Micallef to pursue the project himself, and continued to act in an advisory role.
True to form, Mr Micallef has not limited himself to writing, and will also be playing the roles of Ġorġ and Alfred. He will be joined on stage by Monika Attard, playing the roles of Lina and Carol. “If I wanted to, I could have easily scripted the play for four actors,” Mr Micallef says, “but, of course, I cannot deny that I also wanted to bring out the capacity of the actors,” he continues with a smile. “Speaking for myself, I have developed a reputation for putting up one-man shows and playing multiple characters. And Ms Attard needs no introduction – she is an extremely talented and versatile actress. There’s a great working chemistry between us, so it wasn’t at all difficult to work together and to adapt ourselves to playing different characters.”
Mr Micallef is also keen to stress the input that the director, Żep Camilleri, has had on the production. “Żep is known for his dramatic use of music and lighting, and this production will be no exception,” he says.
“We’ve had a very long and successful working relationship; besides contributing his own ideas, he is also, unlike some other directors, willing to listen to and take on his actors’ suggestions.” It is perhaps inevitable that our conversation eventually touches on the question of censorship, and Mr Micallef is under­standably vocal about the issue. “Personally, I believe that some form of censorship needs to exist – it’s impossible to remove censorship entirely. However, I also believe – and I must emphasise this as strongly as possible – that no censor should have the right to prevent a play from being performed. If it’s deemed necessary, the age restriction can be raised higher than the present 18 – make it 21, or even higher if need be – but don’t ban the play outright.”
He admits to having been surprised and taken aback by the Stitching controversy. “To be honest, I wasn’t expecting this to happen in this day and age. This is 2009, and the time for this kind of censorship has passed.” Ultimately, he says, the question is one of allowing the theatergoer to make their own choices. “The play’s publicity makes it clear that this play will deal with mature themes – so it’s up to you whether you want to attend or not. If you’re coming to see it, you know what you’re letting yourself in for. There’s always a place for productions with a shocking, controversial element.”

Inċest is being performed at St James Cavalier on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and on March 13-15 at 8 p.m. Tickets may be obtained by phone on 2122 3216 or e-mail: info@sjcav.org

Source: Weekender, February 28, 2009