A whirlwind of vibrant props colour Manoel Theatre’s backstage – actors rehearse their lines, a goldfish in a bowl flicks its tail and a quail totters from one end of its cage to the other.
A pug is also on its way to the set of Ma Rridx Immur, director and producer Jimmy Grima informs me.
The script, which won a Francis Ebejer award, was penned by Leanne Ellul and will be produced by Teatru Manoel and the Rubberbodies Collective with the support of the Malta Arts Council.
“I had already worked with Leanne Ellul before,” Mr Grima, 31, explains.
“So I immediately agreed without seeing the script. The script involves a multitude of interesting elements. It focuses mainly on 20-year-olds, which is a rather rare occurrence in Maltese plays.”
The play revolves around Casey who, at 20 years of age, is suffering from a terminal illness. But death is not an issue compared with her everyday problems.
Through intimate dialogues filled with tension and unrest, Casey’s relationship with those closest to her is unravelled – her best friend Samantha, her boyfriend Alfio and his grandmother Mary.
The piece first explores the ups and downs of 20-year-olds – work, alcohol and relationships.
But when Casey’s condition starts to deteriorate, the focus shifts onto the people in her life.
“Tragedy can sometimes bring people together,” Mr Grima points out.
This is the first time that the Rubberbodies Collective is working with a ‘ready’ script or someone else’s idea for a performance.
“We perform non-verbal theatre. So it’s been an interesting marriage of styles between ‘straight’ acting and the Rubberbodies. As the Rubberbodies, we consider ourselves to be performers not actors. So we intermixed the poetry of movement and space with the hints of poetry inherent in Leanne’s script. ”
What will viewers take home with them?
“There will be lots of moments and images which the audience will never forget. The performance speaks about how beautiful life is and how we should enjoy it more and allow ourselves to be more playful.”
Performances are on Friday and Saturday at 8pm.