Theatre
Teatr-Ejn
St James Cavalier

With the fabric of society fraying fast due to the upheavals currently rocking the world, two short plays remind us of how difficult it can be for those in our society who are singled out for their otherness. It also shines a light on the fact that in our country, at least, several moves in the right direction have been made to mitigate discrimination by highlighting how terribly debilitating social stigma can be.

Spazju Kreattiv offered two situations by young up-and-coming playwrights whose plays won the Social Theatre Festival for 2012 and 2013, and have finally made it beyond the workshop stage. Both featuring the same cast members, the two pieces meant twice as much work for the actors and twice as much emotional response.

The first act featured the 2013 winner, Inversjoni, directed by Tyrone Grima, in which scriptwriter Stefan Magri envisaged a world where being gay is the norm and heterosexuality is frowned upon.

The methods of conversion used upon the straight Christian, one of whose mothers is a hard-core, bigoted government minister, while the other is a stay-at-home mother, are reminiscent of the torture and aversion therapy used in A Clockwork Orange – pointing very strongly towards a dystopic world-view which, even more disturbingly, is a reflection of what happens in reality. It was clear that Grima had a strong vision of how to present this theme in a well-rounded manner.

Teatr-Ejn’s clear message was that while otherness defies people, it shouldn’t hinder them, as it is simply another expression of their identity and their actualisation of selfhood

The stigma on homosexuality and the mockery of people’s sense of identity with conversion therapy finds its exponent in Clive Piscopo’s Dr Floyd, Christian’s psychiatrist, who tries to turn him back to being gay and as his mother puts it, “find a nice boy”.

Andre Mangion as Christian gives a mostly heteronormative audience quite a shock with the ordinariness of his approach to relationships, reminding us that love and attraction are universal – especially since his otherness is something we can easily sympathise with.

Mangion as Chris did a good job in portraying an angry young man in disagreement with societal norms, and trying to cope with his illicit relationship with his lover, Lexi (Naomi Said) who is riddled with guilt about her apparent ‘betrayal’ of her family and community by feeling the way she does about a boy.

Said showed strong introspective qualities and gave a good interpretation as a young girl confused about her sexuality. Her weakness becomes a means by which she can be manipulated into doing the calculating Dr Floyd’s dirty work – a slippery character executed well by Piscopo, although it was rather too forced at times.

Of the mothers, I liked Marisa Aquilina’s interpretation as a person of influence whose ruthlessness extends to her family, while Marceline Galea’s role was solid as a supporting character.

* * *

Mangion featured again in the title role of the second play, It-Tfajjel ta’ fuq il-Bandla, which he wrote and won the festival with in 2012. This piece was expertly directed by Josette Ciappara and was certainly much more nuanced and layered than its original workshop format four years ago.

The sensitive portrayal by Mangion of Terry, a deeply autistic boy whose otherness leads his father, Charles (Mariano Said), to abandon his family, is very moving although at times claustrophobic in the manner in which he communicated or ignored his interlocutors.

This was a good approximation of the difficulties in reaching out to others and the strains that autism puts on families; it acknowledges their daily struggles without undermining Terry’s identity as a different person.

The boy is loved and cared for by his mother Nathalie (Marceline Galea), until she dies, and then ends up in a care home, looked after by Steve, the night-shift nurse (Clive Piscopo), and new nurse Krista (Naomi Said) who is still learning the ropes.

Galea and Said both gave very convincing interpretations as distraught parents struggling to come to terms with their situation. Piscopo’s seeming genuine and kind Steve hid a darker secret, instigated by loneliness, which somehow made the audience understand his own emotionally damaged story, in spite of his abusive situation – in terms of trust, power and sexuality.

Said was convincing as a well-meaning trainee nurse whose kindness and perseverance led to Terry overcoming his trust issues and allowing her into his world, enough to save himself and his relationship with his estranged father.

Teatr-Ejn’s clear message was that while otherness defines people, it shouldn’t hinder them, as it is simply another expression of their identity and their actualisation of selfhood. It is something which should not be seen as defective but empowering.

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