The ZARARTI troupe.

Malta Cultural Association together with the Parliamentary Secretariat for Persons with Disability and Active Aging, produced an original Commedia dell’Arte play in Maltese at the St Vincent de Paule Residence (SVPR) theatre last Monday.

The  audience included some 20 members of the Malta Society for the Blind and about 150 residents from eight government residential homes for the elderly. The five ZARARTI artists with their 18th century costumes and Commedia masks indulged in their antics, often going down to the auditorium to involve the audience with sing-alongs, while the special audience enthusiastically joined.

While Narcy Calamatta as Pantalone, Patrick Tanti as Arlecchino, Veronica Mizzi as Colombina, together with Brandon Terribile and Rebecca Bilocca as the two Amorosi performed Arlecchino w il-Kavallier tal-Warda on stage, stand-up comedian Malcolm Vella King gave a running commentary of all the slapstick action, from the orchestra pit. This was relayed to the visually impaired by means of earphones.

ZARARTI is a voluntary organisation committed to help art and artists in Malta to blossom, while promoting the cultural heritage of Commedia dell’Arte both locally and abroad. For more information about this NGO one can visit the Zararti Malta Cultural Association’s page on Facebook.