Name
Sarah-Lee Zammit

Age
23

Occupation
Arts marketing executive and actress with Gruppi għall-Inkontri tal-Bniedem

My best holiday ever…

Belgrade. I can never forget dancing in a garden at sunset, followed by sudden heavy rain and a power cut. We kept on dancing regardless, and sang like our lives depended on each and every second of that very particular moment.

I call it my moment of realisation. Belgrade changed my perceptions of theatre and life.

I had signed up for a theatre workshop entitled ‘Contemporary Theatre, Mind and Technique’. I have to admit, I had no idea what I had signed up for.

I was in shock – it was all about going beyond your limits, working for long hours, and stopping for Turkish coffee maybe once every six hours.

Being there without knowing anyone left me with no option but to learn how to enjoy it. I am so grateful this happened, as it helped me realise that I was not obtaining a bag of tricks, but enriching myself with a bag of tools.

The trip to Belgrade was one great experience. I was soon ‘adopted’ by the theatre makers. They shared not only their work but their lives, and they introduced me to their families and invited me to garden family meals.

Dancing in the rain was only one episode from an endless list.

I would never return to…

I haven’t been to any place I would never return to. Each place has its own particularities, tempo, scents and magic. I wouldn’t mind returning to any of the places I’ve been so far.

The most dangerous place I’ve visited…

I believe that such a journey has yet to come.

My most memorable experience on an aircraft…

I’m going to say Poznan (Poland); a red coffin, antique candlestick holder, sickle, jazz legend Roscoe Mitchell and I dressed in red from head to toe… try figuring that out!

Coming back to Malta alone from a performance which I had presented in Poznan as part of Gruppi, I was carrying my props in my luggage – I guess you figured out what my ‘props’ consisted of?

Trying to explain my props to two huge Polish bodyguards who could not understand English was quite a challenge. Their suspicious looks were simply to die for.

After browsing a few posters of my performances, scanning my stuff, doing a few telephone calls and finally smirking, they decided I was free to go.

Leaving the security room all flustered with my shoes in my hands, wearing a red hoodie and a long red coat, I was the talk of a group of some 12 people sitting in front of the security room, where an old man suddenly started singing a song about a little girl in red.

This was followed bythem offering me a beer, which I immediately accepted. An invasion of paparazzi ruined the moment, but made me realise that the ‘old man’ was in fact jazz legend Roscoe Mitchell accompanied by his group members, who had just performed at a jazz festival in Poznan.

We exchanged contacts, and then we realised we were on the same connection flight. Let’ssay that not all passengers on board were so amused with our loud chattering, laughing and occasional singing.

My most treasured holiday souvenir…

A dress from Ibiza, a stone from Iceland, a photo from Paris, a dried flower from Slovenia, a necklace from Athens, a hat from Amsterdam, a diary from Poland and bath salts from Frankfurt…

My biggest gaffe abroad…

My friend was desperately looking for an internet connection while trying to kill six hours waiting for a connection flight, and my drowsy head thought it had seen a ‘computer room’, so I convinced my friend to walk back towards it.

My dear friend could not believe her eyes when we arrived at the ‘computer room’, which was in fact a check-in area with a lot of computers to check in hand luggage!

The friendliest people…

Definitely Belgrade – the actors of Plavo Pozoriste have now become my extended family.

I never travel without...

My diary. I love writing down memories never to be forgotten. I construct all my performative material at Action Base through particular experiences and encounters, so I cannot afford not to write down a thought, an image or anything that might help me construct physical partituras. Such partituras act as the means to let me express my urgent need to communicate with an audience. My diary is always with me.

The taxi ride I will never forget…

Technically it was a bike ride. While setting up for an outdoor performance in Slovenia with Gruppi għall-Inkontri tal-Bniedem, John, our pedagogue, had informed us that he had arranged for a security guard to spend the night there so we could go rest at our hotel, knowing all our lights and equipment were in safe hands.

A young man on his motorbike had been staring at us setting up for quite some time, so I was convinced it was the security man.

Impulsively I asked him to take me for a ride on his bike, to which he answered by putting on his bike, and off we went round the village.

I asked him if he was a full-time security guard and he replied no, and he did not plan on ever becoming one. That was the point that I realised he was just a man on a bike watching us set up.

He found it quite amusing and tried to scare the living daylights out of me by driving at full speed, with me screaming to be taken back. I then realised that I need to revisit the little Red Riding Hood story more often.

My all-time favourite holiday photo...

Too many photos, most of them lost. It’s the memories that count.

An unforgettable hotel...

When in Serbia, I had booked a ‘hostel’ in the centre of Belgrade and I was very happy as it was very central and very cheap.

But I was very surprised in the morning when I realised that I was the only person staying in this hotel.

I presumed I would meet someone the day after, to no avail, and the day after that there were still no people at the hotel. By that time I was starting to get very worried and I decided to investigate the issue.

To cut a long story short, I was very scared when I learned that it was in fact owned by Slobodan Milosevic’s party and it was the ‘meeting place’ should there be any turmoil.

No wonder it was so central, affordable and nicely made up, yet it had no people but me.

I return most often to...

I’ve been to Venice and Slovenia more than once.

My ideal travel companion...

Sergio, my better half. He has a very good sense of direction; he plans beforehand, he’s very well organised and carries a watch.

Unfortunately, I do not believe I make his ideal travel companion. I tend to ruin plans by lingering for too long in one place, I then get completely immersed somewhere else, and I spend all my money in the first couple of days.

Country with the best cuisine...

I still have to experience many more places.

I want to travel to India and Japan – I have been told by very reliable sources that their cuisine is exquisite.

My next holiday plans…

I plan to go to Spain to visit friends who are professionalflamenco artists. We go crazy whenever we meet up. I promised I would visit in the next few months.

My dream trip…

Definitely India. I want to develop a better understanding of their culture, feel the softness of their drapes, smell the bright colorful herbs, eat a homemade meal, enjoy a ritual dance and visit some marvellous places.

I partied hardest in…

Athens. Till 5 a.m., accompanied by ouzo, musicians, dancers, a painter and a filmographer. It was an unbeatable experience.

My travel tip…

Avoid touristic areas, be careful what you book and do not plan too much – follow the scents, the music and what the locals tell you.

Living with some friends is always ideal, as you get to experience what a place is really like.

Gruppi għall-Inkontri tal-Bniedem is a theatre group that conducts research in performative processes.