With auditions for the next intake of Studio 18 members just around the corner, Jo Caruana interviews creative director Jean-Marc Cafà to discover how this programme is changing the way young people learn through the arts.
A lot can be achieved in a year. And, proving that point, the team over at Studio 18 has certainly packed a lot into the last year or so, and they are definitely showing no signs of slowing.
In a nutshell, Studio 18 is a youth project that was set up in light of Malta’s successful bid to host European Capital of Culture in 2018.
It is a space that provides the tools and means for young people to develop as creative and well-rounded individuals, and it first opened its door some 18 months ago.
“When we first launched I had no idea how quickly things would develop,” says Studio 18 creative director Jean-Marc Cafà.
“What started as a set of summer workshops has morphed into three youth programmes – the Creative Lab, the Muso Project and the Individual Programme. As a rule, we seek to use the creative and performing arts to challenge our members in more ways than one. The whole system is an exercise in team-building, life skills, life-long learning and, at the end of the tunnel, the arts.”
Cafà believes the performing arts provide great tools for teaching anything under the sun. Thus, the tutors at Studio 18 teach according to various cornerstones, namely humility and the importance of acknowledging there is always room to learn and improve; ownership and the need for people to take responsibility for their work and actions; and, finally, the ‘fountain of youth’ which refers to the importance of play and the desire to dream and grow.
And, as testament to this approach, there have been numerous highlights for the young artists and tutors involved in the programme, proving that its approach is definitely getting something right.
Since its conception, Studio 18 was chosen to collaborate with St James Cavalier on a piece of children’s theatre called The Brat and That!, which was then selected to form part of the International Youth Arts Festival in Kingston last year. Then came their hit play #BabyDaddy, which was commissioned by the ŻiguŻajg Festival and written by Simone Spiteri.
“After its first run #BabyDaddy was invited back for some encore performances at the Malteen Festival and then selected for the Malta Showcase. We still have big plans in the pipeline for that piece, but it’s early days,” Cafà says, adding how proud he was of the public’s reaction to the play.
And it hasn’t stopped there, as other recent highlights for the group have included an innovative film projects, a number of workshops with international artists, a couple of gigs with the Malta Youth Orchestra and a collaborative project with the Opening Doors Association.
“To be honest, it feels more like a decade than 18 months,” says Cafà.
Moreoever, the members (as Cafà prefers not to term them ‘students’) also have plenty to look forward to in the near future.
The whole system is an exercise in team-building, life skills, life-long learning and, at the end of the tunnel, the arts
There are currently three major projects in the offing for Studio 18 – namely a collaboration with popular local band Red Electrick, and another partnership with the Teatru Aurora in Gozo.
“Finally, we’re got two guest practitioners joining our labs in June to workshop a new piece that explores Parkinson’s disease and the body in relation to the nervous system. It’s all quite fascinating,” says Cafà.
The members, too, have high praise for Studio 18. Seventeen-year-old Giulia Palmieri describes Studio 18 is one of the most challenging and thought-provoking things she has ever done.
“It has exposed me to so many things and helped me to grow, both as a person and as a creative. No session is ever the same as another and our team is very much on the same wavelength – hungry and willing to take on new and diverse challenges. It’s certainly a one-of-a-kind place to learn in Malta.”
Echoing that sentiment, James Azzopardi Meli, 20, describe Studio 18 as a creative haven where he can take a break from the ordinariness of his daily routing and release his inner child.
“Being there is my me time and it gives me the mind-fuel I need to find the element of fun in everything I do for the rest of the week,” he says. “I always leave our sessions feeling very much alive.”
Now, Studio 18 is once again widening its alternative approach and inviting more members to join.
The organisation will be holding auditions for its Creative Lab Training Programmes on Saturday and on June 13. These are open to youths aged between 16 and 25.
“This is a hands-on way of learning that teaches you for life,” Cafà says, adding that he is eager to see the programme grow to welcome new members after the upcoming auditions.
“If you join us, you will find yourself learning, researching, studying and debating. The key here is not to feed young people with information, but rather to feed their hunger to learn, to know and to grow. The team is very much looking forward to working with more people than ever,” he says.
For more information about the Studio 18 auditions, e-mail info@studio18malta.com.