A new “professional structure” for theatre in Malta is among cultural measures announced in the Budget speech.
Teatru Malta will employ artistic and technical professionals and commission a number of productions and co-productions involving local and international companies. The productions will form part of a yearly theatrical programme held in different venues.
“It is not designed to compete with existing theatre companies but it can push the boundaries further,” the Arts Council Malta’s director of strategy, Toni Attard, told the Times of Malta. The remit of the new body, expected to be set up in the new year, will be to present original theatrical works with contemporary relevance and greater experimentation in style, dramaturgy and technology.
It is expected to build on the work of the first national dance company, ŻfinMalta, although there are no plans for a professional theatre company in the same mould.
A sum of €100,000 has been allocated as seed funding to develop the concept over the next year.
“We’re looking at ways to support local companies and, at the same time, create new and exciting work, where the necessary resources and production capacities may not be there at the moment,” Mr Attard said.
Overall, this year’s Budget sees a 33 per cent increase in funding to the cultural sector. This includes €10.8 million – an increase of €3 million – for public organisations under the remit of the Arts Council, such as the ManoelTheatre, St James Cavalier and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra. Four projects related to Valletta 2018, currently awaiting EU co-funding, will receive a capital investment of €1 million, namely the Valletta Design Cluster, the new art museum Muża, the Grand Salon for Costume, Fashion and Film and the Malta International Contemporary Art Space.
The Budget for 2016 also includes a new funding mechanism for festivals and arts programmes organised by independent arts organisations.
The €500,000 programme will support the work of independent large-scale events for a period of three years.
“We’re challenging the idea that for a festival or arts event to be ‘national’ it has to be led by the government,” Mr Attard said.
Donations to the arts will now benefit from a 150 per cent tax deduction as a measure to encourage more private and corporate sponsorship.
Meanwhile, it was also announced that Malta will participate in the Venice Biennale international arts festival in 2017, which will be supported by an investment of €350,000 over two years.