The evolution of the species - preview

What would you do if you were sitting on the sofa with your pets and they started talking to you? Would you just stare at them in disbelief? Would you start talking back to them? Would you run away and book yourself in to the nearest insane asylum? And what would happen if all the animals in the world started doing the same... would it simply be a question of evolution gone mad? Or something more?

And once animals acquired the power of speech, would mankind still be dominant over them? Or would the animals try to take over? Would basic rules have to be changed? Would life as we know it have to change drastically? Would the law of the jungle reign again?

This is the premise of BhimaChat, a play being organised by the Ixidor Theatre Company this month. According to Alison Desira, one of the members of Ixidor, BhimaChat revolves around animals acquiring the gift of speech with all the consequences thereafter.

"Just imagine one fine morning your old dog starts speaking instead of barking. What would be the first thing you would tell him, and what do you think he would have to say in return? Would he thank you for the loads of cuddles you give him everyday? Would he mention that day you forgot to unlock the yard door and he had to spend the whole afternoon in the rain? Would your pet expose you or would he remain loyal to your very intimate secrets?" she asks.

The premise is rather intriguing I must admit. I have two cats whom I love dearly and I assume, or at least I hope, that if tomorrow they suddenly, miraculously started speaking, they would have favourable things to say to and about me. After all, I feed them and give them water. I furnish them with many cuddles. I buy them toys. We watch television together (one of them expecially enjoys Eastenders).

But maybe they would complain that they would rather be fed a more expensive gourmet type of food. That they do not appreciate being locked up in my very large and airy bedroom (with all their toys) whenever I have a party. That they would rather be watching Animal Planet. Who knows? In any case, this should be an interesting production to watch (maybe I should take the cats to watch it?!)

"It is a different kind of production," says Ms Desira, "full of colour, movement, music, humour, and above all, animals reasoning and talking. If you are somewhat curious and would like to see what happens when the laws of nature are twisted, you should definitely not miss this performance. You are in for a hearty laugh as well."

Ixidor is composed of seven actors: Mario Abela, Adrian Azzopardi, Sharon Bezzina, Christine Borg, Stephen Buhagiar, Daniela Delia and Alison.

They have all pursued an intensive three-year course at the Drama Centre and since then have performed in a number of theatrical events, both locally and overseas, such as the Malta Arts Festival, the Besancon Theatre Festival in France, the Dublin Fringe Festival, and Europe Without Boundaries in Germany. Their first group performance was Deformis, directed by Ruben Zahra in August 2006, followed by L-Għalliema, which was directed by Charles Sammut in March 2007.

"We started working on BhimaChat in August 2007, kicking off with discussions, brain-storming sessions and research. When we had conceived the basic idea, we approached Karmenu Aquilina who gladly accepted to act as our coordinator. Mr Aquilina then suggested that we contact Trevor Zahra, whom eventually provided us with a collection of his unpublished work.

"The themes allowed space for ideas, innovation, physical theatre and experimentation. Mix them together and you'll get the kind of theatre that we love. Zahra's collection served as a base of inspiration for Daniela Delia's original script," explains Ms Delia.

The final performance is the result of various voice and physical workshops which were developed into small scenes and eventually combined into one whole production.

"Rehearsals were first held regularly and then daily especially during the last month before production day. Needless to say, any performance involves team effort, sacrifices and support from our families. And I mustn't forget to mention Gilbert Formosa whom with great dedication provides assistance when it comes to marketing and stage management," adds Ms Desira.

An added bonus to the production is the involvement of the Zizza Ensemble which will be playing live music. I had the pleasure of working with the talented members of this band in two consecutive annual Shakespeare performances and I must say they are a joy to work with... and to listen to.

Ms Desira seems to have had a very positive experience as far as putting up this production is concerned. "Working as a team is definitely the most rewarding facet. It is what we, as actors of Ixidor, believe in the first place - experimenting and exploring theatre as a group. Apart from that, every performance is something new, and it brings about new excitement, new challenges. Working on Bhima Chat was challenging and required a lot of effort, team work and coordination, yet it proved to be most enjoyable."

• BhimaChat will be held at the MITP Theatre, St Christopher Street, Valletta, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 7.30 p.m. Tickets may be obtained from St James Cavalier by phone on 2122 3200.