Set at Fort St Elmo to capture the atmosphere of a time when Malta was ravaged by war, this summer’s production of Faith, Hope u Charity received its last round of applause yesterday evening.

The latest play in the Staġun Teatru Malti series has thrilled many during its eight runs as part of the Malta Arts Festival.

Scripted by Immanuel Mifsud and based on a story by Mario Philip Azzopardi, Faith, Hope u Charity is set in Malta at the start of the Second World War.

Under the direction of Josette Ciappara, the play follows 20-year-old Marija, a nurse who enchants two young men when she volunteers to help wounded soldiers.

Faith, Hope u Charity is about these three young people caught up in the terrible tragedy of war.

The pilot who flew the fighter plane Charity, William Timber Woods (played by Carlos Farrugia), downs an Italian pilot (Davide Tucci), who lands in a garden of a villa owned by Contessa Fiorini Sacco.

Her granddaughter Maria (Sarah Camilleri) takes care of the Italian, who is later visited in hospital by Mr Timber Woods.

The outdoor theatrical production also marked the return of Karmen Azzopardi to the stage after an absence of nearly 10 years.