After 30 years of working in the manufacturing industry, Ray Attard made the bold switch to the cultural sector. Alex Vella Gregory speaks to the Manoel Theatre’s CEO to find out how it’s going four years down the line.
“Culture is not an expense, it is an investment,” asserts Manoel Theatre CEO Ray Attard. Given that we spend most of the time talking money, I am very wary of such statements. But no matter how you look at it, money does make the world go round, and the theatre is no exception.
“When I told my friends that I had been chosen for the role of CEO of both the Manoel Theatre and the Mediterranean Conference Centre – and that I had accepted – they all told me I was mad.”
Attard was fully aware of the challenges that awaited him, but four years down the line he is proud of his achievements. So what have been his biggest challenges?
“I wanted to move away from the perception of the Manoel Theatre as an elitist club. It had to be opened up to a wider audience, and that could not happen by imposing your calendar on the audience. I also realised that the business model of supply and demand also applies to culture.”
The Manoel Theatre has certainly broadened its horizons over the past few years, with various educational programmes, more Maltese theatre and an increase in audience numbers. But does the business model not risk reducing our national theatre to a populist entertainment venue?
“The business side is only one side of the story. As the national theatre, we have a social and educational obligation towards the nation. For example, we are trying, wherever possible, to push local talent, even if it costs more to put up than getting a ready-made package from abroad.”
The whole issue of Manoel Theatre commissioning work has been a thorny one for years. The label ‘renting house’ has often been thrown at the nation’s top institution whenever controversy arises, which is why Manoel Theatre has reconsidered its position on things like the March Opera production.
“For the coming season we will be producing Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito, where we will be using a mostly Maltese cast, including a Maltese chorus. Of course, in the interest of artistic quality, we will have foreigners taking part where we cannot find local talent.”
Things are already looking very good, with one of the four nights already sold to a tour operator. “We believe we have a good product, so that makes it easy for us to market it,” says Attard, who is keen to produce income-generating productions.
This whole profit thing might seem a bit obsessive, but given that we are going through a time of crisis it makes sense to avoid relying on taxpayers’ money.
“I want to move away from public funding, and move into private and corporate funding as well as generating our own income.”
This all ties in with the theatre’s social obligations, but has the public’s perception of the Manoel Theatre changed over the years? And has that change been for the better? Many third parties are still wary of the situation, and I ask him very bluntly whether he feels there is any bad blood between the theatre and third parties.
“Unfortunately, income is extremely important for third parties, and this creates a lot of tension since they do have an even more pressing need to make profit. So that often creates a lot of tricky situations. However, we have had an increase in requests for third-party events, which means we must be on the right track.”
“We are also looking into improving our infrastructure, such as having energy-saving lighting systems. This will reduce the costs not just for us, but also for third parties, meaning we can provide a cheaper and better service.”
Third-party income is also important for the theatre as it helps it to support other projects, such as its education programme. Already this year the Toi Toi children’s programme, under the direction of Rosetta Debattista, has more than doubled its events and audiences.
I wanted to move away from the perception of the Manoel Theatre as an elitist club
For the next season the theatre wants to broaden its educational programme and turn it into an outreach programme. “We want to bring the theatre closer to those who do not have the possibility to come physically into Valletta or are a bit wary of attending a performance.”
Despite the usual gloom and doom predictions, audience numbers seem to be improving. The Baroque Festival is a case in point. Although not technically a Manoel Theatre production, the theatre has administered the logistics and marketing of the festival, which saw a large percentage of its audience made up of local music lovers.