A 10 per cent increase in theatre students has been recorded by the Malta Drama Centre this academic year, with over 600 students aged between five and 67 starting courses or returning to theatre and performance studies in drama training, classical ballet, Arabic dance, freestyle and Spanish dance.

This year’s group is working on a dramatised version of a news item that took Malta by storm

The Malta Drama Centre forms part of the Directorate of Lifelong Learning under the auspices of the Ministry of Education. As evidenced by past courses, most returning students typically achieve very good grades in exams set by foreign institutions like the London Academy of Music and Drama, the National Association of Dance, the Alianza Flamenca, the Royal Academy of Dance and the Spanish Dance Society. Last summer another group of adult drama students were awarded the licentiate of Trinity College, London. Nine students out of a group of 12 who sat for the exam at diploma level qualified with a distinction.

This year, the course in community theatre is also being offered. Devised around the concept of adult students researching and presenting a forum-theatre production based on prevalent social issues, this year’s group is working on a dramatised version of a news item that took Malta by storm some time ago.

The story of a mother who was jailed for breaching child custody orders when the son is practically an adult, and then released on a presidential pardon sets the scene for community theatre with its intrinsic character of an outreach format.

The project will be presented and discussed in various locations around Malta. A spokesperson for the Malta Drama Centre explained that its ethos is that theatre should be socially relevant and seek to explore themes that impact public opinion.

“The aim of this type of theatre is to elicit a critical reaction, so that the passivity normally associated with the audience is neutralised and the audience reacts concretely during the performance,” the spokesperson said.

Also offered for the current year is the course on Personality Development Through Drama. Possibilities exist for a large number of students to take part in public performances. A number of graduates have also set up their own companies and obtained parts in various TV dramas on local stations.

Earlier this year, Education Minister Dolores Christina announced that the Government has finalised arrangements for the building of an Institute of Creativity, which will bring together the Drama Centre, the School of Music and the School of Art.