The merciful lion who spared the life of Androcles the slave centuries ago is back for a charitable cause - to help a four-year-old boy with a rare medical condition.
The kind cat will be performing during the play Androcles and the Lion, to be held between Friday and Sunday, and all funds collected will go towards Sven Mifsud's trust fund.
Sven's condition, called Proteus syndrome, involves the disproportionate overgrowth of his left leg and he will have to undergo several operations throughout his life.
In fact, during the weekend of the play Sven will be undergoing an operation to straighten his left leg and reduce soft tissue. After that, he will be wheelchair-bound for about three months so he needs all the support he can get.
Two years ago, Rotaract Malta La Valette launched a campaign to raise awareness about his condition and collect the funds which his mother, Tracy, needs to cope with increasing expenses.
Last year Sven was nominated as the beneficiary of the Rotaract Charity Trust Fund that contained the initial sum of €10,000, donated by an anonymous foreign benefactor, and which fund will now be open to donations from the public.
Rotaract and Nonsuch players are working to ensure the fund is filled and are putting up the play Androcles and the Lion, by George Bernard Shaw.
The one-act fable in English is set in Rome 150AD and will be performed in the charming orange grove gardens of the Melita gardens restaurant complex in Balzan.
The play, aimed at people aged over 16, tells the tale of Androcles, an escaped slave who is saved by the requited mercy of a lion which he had previously helped out when wounded. In the play Androcles is made out to be one of many Christians being led to the Colosseum for torture.
The play examines in a serious and comic way why Christian martyrs were thrown to the lions - not necessarily because they were Christians but because they were different.
When Sven was born, on Christmas Eve four years ago, his mother immediately realised that something was different with his left leg and that his foot was larger than normal.
When he was about four months old he was diagnosed with Proteus syndrome that had never been detected in a Maltese person before. Only about 120 cases have been diagnosed worldwide.
As Sven grew, his left leg and foot started to outgrow him. It became difficult for him to carry the weight of his large foot and when he was about 18 months old it had to be amputated. When he turns 21, he may even need another amputation.
While Sven is the first beneficiary of the trust fund, others who are seriously in need of assistance can be nominated to become beneficiaries of during its 50-year duration. By its very nature, a trust fund ensures that all money donated will be received by the beneficiaries and used for the proper cause.
Anyone interested in donating money to the trust fund can do so through any HSBC branch by asking for the account called Rotaract Malta La Valette Trust Fund.
Tickets for the play cost €10 and are available from MaxMara outlets and Peach and Sorrel beauty centre in Santa Venera. Bookings can also be made via events@rotaractmalta.org or by calling 99405239 or 99828484. For more information visit www.nonsuchplayer.org and www.rotaractmalta.org.