The Performing Arts in 20th-century Malta: Heritage, Transmission, Relevance is the title of a conference to be held by the University’s School of Performing Arts on March 28 and 29.
The conference will present and document practices, trends, difficulties, achievements and research strategies that have marked theatre, dance and music in Malta both during the colonial period as well as since Independence, the effects of which can still be discerned in performance practices today.
The conference organisers are calling for abstracts of up to 300 words of papers to be presented at the conference. The following is a list of possible topics that may be presented: performance training with reference to local attempts and foreign models; amateurism and professionalism in the performing arts; festivals in Malta and their impact; the interrelationship between the performing arts and politics; the growth of the pantomime; opera productions; the ‘rise’ of the theatre group; the production of Francis Ebejer’s plays; the influence of Princess Putiatine on Maltese classical ballet; the development of the ‘school show’; the Maltese wind band tradition; and jazz music in 20th-century Malta. Other topics may be considered. The papers may be delivered in English or Maltese.
Presentations of essays, live interviews, testimonials and photographic or multimedia material would also be welcome.
Abstracts are to be submitted by January 6 to Dr Stefan Aquilina at stefan.aquilina@um.edu.mt.