As Stagecoach successfully wraps up its first One Act Play Festival, Jo Caruana speaks to four young students who tried their hand at directing for the very first time.

There’s certainly no shortage of up-and-coming performers in Malta. Countless youngsters take weekly classes in the art of being on stage. Some even go on to take their practices seriously, by training at the University of Malta, or heading overseas to follow their dreams.

But with the rise in the number of people wanting to be on stage comes an important other need: off-stage professionals, including directors, lighting designers, set builders and props mistresses. Sadly, this is often where shortages arise.

So this summer the Stagecoach School for the Performing Arts chose to tackle that by hosting a One Act Play Festival. The festival featured students who have gained training in key theatre skills, such as directing, producing, costume design, props management and lighting, as well as acting. The idea is to foster the knowledge and will for these students to go on to develop an interest in widening their theatre craft skills.

Maxine Aquilina, who produced the festival on Stagecoach’s behalf, has been a teacher for many years. It has long been evident to her just how much children of all ages love getting creative and devising their own drama pieces, choreography and song lyrics.

“This gave us the idea to hold a short play festival, giving students the chance to direct a piece and follow all the relevant protocol that a director has to in order to take a show from the script to the stage. When we launched the idea the response was overwhelming, which goes to show just how eager students are to learn and be given new opportunities.”

The students were invited to pick their chosen specialism, from acting and directing to lighting and backstage. A number of keen, would-be directors came forward and four were chosen: Alex Weenink, Luke Abela, Brendon Joseph Thearle and Matthew Ben Attard.

The four boys were then set the task of choosing a play script, carrying out auditions and casting it. They were also teamed up with mentor and well-known director Chris Gatt, who gave them key tips and advice on what they would need to do tobe successful.

Chris, who has directed countless local productions to great acclaim, believes that up-and-coming directors need to apply sensitivity to the directing process when it comes to understanding the mechanics of the piece, the characters, the space and production conditions, the audience and, most importantly, the actors.

The role of the director is part logistics manager, part headmaster, part philosopher and part psychoanalyst

“The role of the director is part logistics manager, part headmaster, part philosopher and part psychoanalyst,” he says. “In business terms, he or she is the general manager of the whole project.”

Although the directors in the project were still in their teens, Chris explains that they already have plenty of acting experience. “You gain a lot of insight from watching other people direct; you pick out things you like and don’t like. My job has been to observe and offer solutions to problems if asked, and not to let any crisis get out of hand. At the end of the day, making theatre should always be a fun experience for the director and actors, as well as finally, of course, for the audience.”

Much like the MADC’s popular annual One Act Play Festival, this event provided audiences with the chance to watch four plays on one evening, each featuring a different cast and creative team. The plays were performed before a panel of industry professionals and an award ceremony followed, covering Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Production. Meanwhile the audience also got to vote for the People’s Choice Award, for their favourite play of the night.

One of the young directors, Matthew Ben Attard, found making the transition from actor to director particularly interesting. “It has helped me realise quite how much goes into getting a production on stage,” he says. “It’s a challenging role, but it’s been exciting taking the text off in a tangent to suit my ideas. This process has really taught me about organisation, focus and leadership. It was difficult to audition some of my friends, but I knew how important it was for the show to be a success.”

Director Luke Abela agrees, explaining that it was exciting to be given the creative licence to come up with the blueprint for the show – and then have to convince the actors of that vision. “It’s a rewarding role,” he says. “I’ve also learned a lot about acting through these sessions, and that will stand me in good stead for other productions too.”

Alex Weenink, meanwhile, believes the festival has given audiences the chance to see a range of performance types. He explained that there were three comedies on the programme – Check Please, The Dining Room and All By Myself, as well as a dramatic work, Angel.

“Some were silly, others charming, or dramatic,” he says. “I’d say my own production was a comedy of manners; it poked fun at a certain society of people and their life events. Developing it was particularly challenging, as it is made up of different scenes and doesn’t follow a complete plot – I had 12 characters, five scenes and a huge variety of props and costumes to coordinate. It taught me a lot about how to plan efficiently.”

Finally, the fourth director, Brendon Joseph Thearle, believes this opportunity may well have set him on the path towards future directing roles. “Yes, there have been challenges but I have absolutely loved it, and I am very grateful for the opportunity,” he says. “I hope that, later on in life, I will get to direct again. Directing is exciting and not for the faint-hearted, but it’s an experience only a few can enjoy and I feel very privileged to have started at it already.”

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