As the old saying goes: “If you want something done properly, then you might as well do it yourself.” And that was very much the inspiration for a group of young performers who have chosen to take the bull by the horns and produce their own new piece of theatre.
Post Dramatic Stress Disorder, written, directed and performed by friends (and well-known faces in the local theatre circuit) Marta Vella, Bettina Paris, Vikesh Godhwani, Luke Dalli, Sean Borg and Ema Marie Attard.
The show is made up of a series of short, comical sketches, all related to theatre and performance in some way. The team’s idea is to shed light on some of the odd life experiences performers seem to have on a regular basis and to portray the ridiculous situations they somehow end up in.
“Be it enduring an eccentric director, dealing with larger-than-life personalities or experiencing what dating an actor is really like, theatre life can be very entertaining,” says Attard, who has been training in arts since she was a little girl.
“So, when planning the show, we pulled stories together from each of our backgrounds and came up with what we hope will be a fun, exciting evening in which we poke fun at and celebrate the thing we love most: performing!”
The diversity of the sketches reflects our own diversity
Adding to that, actress Bettina Paris, who recently secured acclaim for her role in Unifaun’s Tender Nepalm, explains that every rehearsal created new experiences for the group to add to their script.
“We have different types of humour, so we have picked up so much from each other. Every member of the audience is bound to find something funny and the diversity of the sketches reflects our own diversity.”
The team chose to stage the production at the clubrooms of the Malta Amateur Dramatic Club in Santa Venera because they have all worked there at one time or another, whether rehearsing for the Christmas pantomime or the popular One Act Play Festival.
“It was great that the MADC supported us,” says Godhwani. “They were open to the idea and excited to have a young, enthusiastic team on board.”
The only downside? “Keeping a straight face while on stage is impossible with these guys!” grins Vella.
Post Draumatic Stress Disorder will be staged at the MADC Clubrooms on Friday, Saturday and next Sunday.
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