As part of Valletta 18, 4Teenth Productions, a voluntary theatrical organisation, will be staging a new production inspired by Trevor Zahra’s book Il-Praspar ta’ Kunċett u Marinton under the direction of Domnic Said.

An experienced actor and director, Said was also responsible for the adaptation, so that after almost 40 years, Kunċett and Marinton can leave the book cover and enter into theatre. Therefore, one awaited that the two popular feminine characters were going to generate public interest.

Il-Praspar ta’ Kunċett u Marinton is set in a Maltese village after World War I. The time when there was no electricity or water taps in households; the time when everything was centred around the church and band club; when the streets were filled with children playing.

For some, these are sweet remembrances of the book which attracted generation after generation for the past 40 years since it was published. But, does the younger generation today understand it?

“The children who read it nowadays require some preparation. There are folkloristic mentions that they do not understand. There is vocabulary used by the characters that is no longer used nowadays. For this reason I believe that these stories can serve as a starting point for the children to start researching about Malta in the olden days,” says Zahra.

Il-Praspar ta’ Kunċett u Marinton will be staged on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and on November 2, 3 and 4 at the Malta Drama Centre theatre within Marija Regina school, Ħamrun. Tickets can be bought online from www.ticketline.com.mt. For more information, call 7909 6060 or look up 4Teenth Productions on Facebook.