With an exciting programme including the International Baroque Festival and plans for a makeover, the Manoel Theatre’s future looks bright but only if Valletta becomes more accessible. Chairman Michael Grech and deputy chairman Kenneth Zammit Tabona speak to Veronica Stivala.

The big wooden doors of the Manoel Theatre in Valletta have seen throngs of children and adults flock through its doors to watch the Christmas panto, the colourful flamenco and tango shows.

Having this baroque city and not having anything which is ostensibly baroque is like living in an orange grove and never doing anything with the oranges

Yet despite its days when it is bursting to capacity, there are nights when our national theatre is only half or less full.

Chairman Michael Grech admits that the lack of parking spaces in Valletta “has had a bearing on ticket sales”. It has put people off coming into the capital city, be it for shopping, business or to go to the theatre.

“People’s reaction is that there is too much parking allocated to the residents and the Floriana car park is seen to be too far away. We tried striking a deal to include a shuttle service but that proved too expensive,” he explains.

The solution as Grech sees it is that there should be a public/private partnership with the car park whereby the government gets something going to ferry people to strategic places in Valletta.

On a positive note, the fact that part of Old Theatre Street (the same street where the theatre is located) has been paved over and closed to traffic has proven to be a good move in encouraging pedestrians to that side of the city.

One of the reasons behind organising the lavish International Baroque Festival next January is indeed to attract more audiences to the theatre as well as to give the magnificent baroque theatre its due importance.

Grech explains how “we thought the festival would serve a greater purpose by bringing over cultural tourism to Malta during the winter months when tourism levels tend to dip, attract a higher intelligentsia bracket of tourism to Malta and combine the Manoel with baroque venues in Valletta like St John’s, a number of oratories, the Pilar church and the Jesuit church.”

Speaking about the importance of the baroque element, he continues:

“We felt the need to resuscitate the baroque cult and revive baroque music in Malta. We have a jewel of a baroque theatre, one of the oldest baroque theatres still in operation today, in a beautiful baroque city in the heart of baroque Europe.”

Indeed a festival such as this one is what makes sense for Malta to offer. Deputy chairman Kenneth Zammit Tabona notes how in the same way that the Venetians boosted their slow tourism months 25 years ago by reinventing Carnival, the Manoel aims to do the same with the baroque festival.

“Having this baroque city and not having anything which is ostensibly baroque is like living in an orange grove and never doing anything with the oranges. “We hope this will start off something,” he says.

Highlights of this festival include Bach’s Magnificat and Handel’s Zadok the Priest to be performed by the Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment from the UK, an interpretation of J. C. Bach’s opera Zanaida by the French lyrical ensemble Opera Fuoco and a Maltese version of Moliere’s Don Juan by the Manoel Theatre Players.

Besides attracting a foreign audience, how does the Manoel plan to encourage the Maltese to attend the festival when classical music events do not normally draw the crowds?

Although there has been a formal launch, Grech explains that the theatre will embark on a marketing campaign at national level.

Grech admits that people shy away from culture because it’s presented as being too blue stocking and too exclusive. “It’s not,”he says. “It’s there for everyone.”

He explains that there already is a following – but that the Manoel just needs to reach out further than the core.

“I’m going to give it my best shot. We have the committee behind us on this.”

Zammit Tabona adds that the theatre is focusing on overseas markets though it needs a local educational and awareness campaign.

The Manoel is lucky to have received an ad hoc budget for the festival over and above its regular budget from the government from the Ministry of Finance in conjunction with the Ministry of Culture.

Considering that the €650,000 budget the Manoel received annually from the government covers everything from furnishings to productions, this is a small amount. Luckily, however, the theatre has received many grants from private patrons who have funded much-needed projects like getting new, comfortable chairs for the theatre.

The two explain how the Manoel Theatre aims to boost the baroque element as much as possible. Acoustically, this theatre was built for the baroque idiom. They would like to set up a baroque ensemble in addition to the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra.

By buying baroque instruments such as a harpsichord and a baroque organ, they will not need to import instruments each time a baroque concert is held saving a considerable amount of money.

In addition to music director Brian Schembri, the Manoel Theatre has engaged a drama consultant, Simone Spiteri, and an arts education consultant, Rosetta Debattista, both of whom are working on attracting audiences of all ages and to make the theatre as attractive as possible.

Grech admits that dance is a bit of a problem due to the small theatre – it can never stage a full classical ballet. That said, dance performances such as the tango and flamenco were sell-out shows.

“Because we are the national theatre, we are in the uncomfortable situation where we have to accommodate all kinds of performances. But we don’t want to be elitist. We are just after quality,” he said.

Does Grech think there’s the perception that the Manoel is an elitist theatre?

“I have mixed feelings about that. When you look at our calendar you see there’s quite a cross-section of shows. We put up everything from panto to baroque ensembles.”

Does he think that people have the impression that the theatre is too expensive?

“I don’t know. Possibly,” he admits.

Zammit Tabona notes, however, how there are a considerable number of people who travel to see performances abroad and spend far more than they do in Malta for shows.

Manoel Theatre patrons will soon be able to watch their performances in a more comfortable theatre: works have begun on installing an under-floor heating and cooling system in the theatre and the seats are being changed to more comfortable ones.

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