Rebirth or ruin in the city of Valletta? (5)

laurence schembri

Jul 2nd 2009, 20:36

To be serious, why all the arguments, why talk for the sake of talking, we are not a theatre going nation. I wonder how many of the commentators below read a play or been to a theatre.

laurence schembri

Jul 2nd 2009, 20:29

Please you are not trying to compare the Colosseo in Rome with a hole in the ground in Valletta, sorry Joe.

Antoine Vella

Jul 2nd 2009, 18:11

What some people are forgetting is that, to have a roof, you need to have walls so, basically, you would be rebuilding the theatre and that would defeat the whole purpose of having an open-air theatre. Those who are afraid of the elements can always decide not to attend a performance, after all but they should remember that the space is already being used for cultural activities - has been for years - even in winter. Last Christmas, for example, there was an open-air crib and the police band held at least one concert which was very well-attended.

v.pulis

Jul 2nd 2009, 17:19

The way I see it Mr. Piano was forced into the difficult if not impossible situation of trying to please everyone. In the case of the theatre he opted to finally build the theatre without actually building it. that will satisfy those who wanted a theatre and those who clammered for the original to be rebuilt! Solution; bulid a roofless performing area using the Berry remains. The parliament: The government wanted a parliament on the ruins of the theatre but because of the above problem Renzo decided to build the parliament on stilts in the square.That way, the PM got his parliament and those who wanted to keep the square got their stilts! city gate: This is one area where everyone seems to agree that the present gate is horrendously ugly. So Mr. Piano decided to play it safe and leave a gap in the bastions. If there's no gate it cannot be criticized right? That way everybody's happy. Who said Renzo Piano is not a genius?

J Martinelli

Jul 2nd 2009, 15:57

For those bemoaning the roofless open theatre replacing the roofless weed ridden, sometimes parking lot, may I suggest that they will patronize the Manoel and other theatres a bit more frequently, thus keeping themselves dry in the winter months and refreshed and protected from the summer sun.

Had the Opera House been so terribly missed would some NGOs so audible these days, have not raised the issue sometime along the last 66 years?

How many 'open air' theatres exist around the world some centuries old and how many of them hired some genius to erect a weather proof bubble so they can cosy-up in winter and bake in the summer?

Last year I visited the Colosseo in scorching August sun. Hundreds if not thousands paid their way just to admire the ruins. Is it possible that the opera house ruins turned memorial cum open air theatre, would attract visitors with an added possibility of watching / listening to a performance, weather permitting?

Have we become so fragile that our existence depends so heavily on climate controlled venues?

Galea. L

Jul 2nd 2009, 15:44

g. scerri
An excellent observation.

Franco Farrugia

Jul 2nd 2009, 15:44

@ Ian Galea - And would you tell me who is going to RISK preparing and investing in a performance at the theatre, being at the very mercy of whether it is going to rain or not? Would you tell me who would be interested in patronising such a performance, sitting on very dirty seats? Would you tell me who would be interested in patronising performances in summer with the noise of fireworks and others? Can you tell me what's so wrong with having a (temporary sliding) roof over the theatre? Just because this idea has not been come from Piano, does not mean that we have to shoot it down, now, do we?

katie micallef

Jul 2nd 2009, 14:06

The Globe theatre (the first one before it was burnt down) was roofless and extremely popular in Shakespeare's time ..they must suposedly have experienced a lot more rain than Malta might, yet records show that plays attracted massive audiences throughout the seasons despite the weather. I don't have a problem with the opera house becoming open air, as some people have mentioned, we have other places to go when it rains or gets too cold.

g. scerri

Jul 2nd 2009, 12:21

The kind of tributes pouring in now to this great architect are similar to what happened 25 years ago. Piano has tactfully admitted he was wrong then.

Ian Galea

Jul 2nd 2009, 11:59

Seeing the comments about the theatre being left roofless would have people think we live in Scotland or something. Has anyone noticed how many open-air concerts, parties, festas, manifestations etc are held on our island during the year? In my humble opinion Mr.Piano hit the nail on the head where the opera house is concerned!

R. Caruana

Jul 2nd 2009, 11:58

Hasen't the writer of this letter considered that people would enjoy theatre in summer, by any chance? An open-air 1,200-seater is something that we do not have, and it could bring a new lease of life to summer evenings in the Capital, which is otherwise dead!

It has already been used as such, and with considerable success, over the last few years and if it's properly built and functioning should be a real attraction. No wonder Piano himself has hinted that this would be a unique theatre in any European capital city.

Let's stop criticising and get down to work; it's been too long in coming.

Daphne Caruana Galizia

Jul 2nd 2009, 11:38

The theatre season? Which theatre season would that be? Nobody wants to go and sit in the Manoel in July and August. You appear not to have noticed that we have a summer performance season too: and most of it takes place very uncomfortably in public squares, courtyards and gardens. An open-air theatre is exactly what we need, for the simple reason that we don't have one and are using makeshift alternatives instead. You don't have to sit in the opera house theatre in winter, because it will almost certainly not be used in winter - just as the Manoel isn't used in summer.

Corinne Vella

Jul 2nd 2009, 11:21

why not get rid of the "remains" of the Opera House completely or else rebuild it"

The ruins of the Opera House are not just a broken down buiding or a promising construction site. There's value in their conservation and integration into a new building that goes beyond mere functionality or nostalgic recollection.

laurence schembri

Jul 2nd 2009, 11:16

You have got it all wrong Renzo. Parliament should have been made roofless.
All we get in there is watered-down excuses and a lot of hot-air.

Carmen Mangion

Jul 2nd 2009, 10:16

@Franco Farrugia

Re-briefed about what exactly? That we receive a quantity of precipitation in our country, far less than he receives in Italy that's for sure!

Though I must admit that at least you have not tried to blame Piano like so many others.

Pauline Borg

Jul 2nd 2009, 10:13

I'm shocked that anyone would call a monument of our participation in World War II as "remains", just as if they were table scraps. Doing away with the ruins would be the worst mistake ever for our country.

Chris Borg

Jul 2nd 2009, 09:50

'While you are at it, why not get rid of the "remains" of the Opera House completely or else rebuild it - the ruins only serve as a reminder of lies and broken promises by successive governments, including this one.'

Or you can look at it in another light; Rather than seeing it as 'a reminder of lies', I see it as a tribute to those who have fallen during the war; rather than 'broken promises by successive governments, including this one.' I see it as a way to transmit our rich history to future generations - by means of actual physical evidence, and not history books which will soon be forgotten.
I think Mr Piano's solutions are brilliant and, like many Maltese, am eager to seeing their completion

Franco Farrugia

Jul 2nd 2009, 09:49

My thoughts exactly - nobody in his right senses would put the blame on Ing. Piano, but he needs to be re-briefed, if possible, by different 'specialists'.