Il-Metamorfosi sees Ovid’s classic play being adapted to the Maltese stage by Unifaun Productions. Four of the main backstage movers share their thoughts with Ramona Depares.
Adrian Buckle, producer
I have always loved Greek myths, since my Systems of Knowledge days, in fact. Rather more recently, I discovered Ovid’s Metamorphoses and thought it’d make for some great theatre. One of the two adaptations that I found was very similar to mine, in concept and centred around the use of a pool with acting space around it.
The central theme of the play are love and lust in all their different formats: family love, incest, revenge, rape... love gone wrong, and some happy endings too. The one figure that ties up all the stories is Cupid, played by Jamie Cardona, who is always up to mischief.
I’ve been asked whether people are still into Greek myths. Well, to be honest when I stage a play I don’t think of it from that aspect. If I like the play, I will stage it – that’s how it works for me. Having said that, I do believe Greek myths remain popular, yes. The themes I have mentioned remain relevant today, after all.
I adapted the play in the English language and then passed on the whole thing to Trevor (Zahra), for creative translation and some more adaptations.
At first, Trevor was not too keen; he thought it would be a straightforward translation, from the technical point of view. But then I explained that I wanted him to further adapt the script, and he was on board.
I opted to stage it in Maltese because the original script is very poetic; in fact, we changed some of the prose to ryhme. The more I delved into it, the more I realised that it needed to be staged in Maltese.
Stephen Olivier, co-director
I’m directing the technical aspect of the play – which is interesting, I suppose, considering that I don’t speak any Maltese. Which is where Dominic (Said) comes in, for the language aspect and directing in Maltese. I am focusing on directing the visual aspect; the mechanics, the lighting, the space and so forth. Then, the whole thing gets ‘translated’ into Maltese.
We’ve come up with a very effective strategy for rehearsals. Dominic arrives much earlier than I do, and work on language and projecting takes place; then, with me, the cast works on the other aspects.
The more I delved into it, the more I realised that it needed to be staged in Maltese
The logistics at St Elmo, which is our venue, are very interesting. We are not staging the play in the main area, but at the back of the fortress. The centrepiece will be a huge pool, covered in black; there will be platforms along the pool to give the characters flexibility in movement. And we’re making full use of the pool, incidentally. Suffice it to say that the only character to not get wet will be Cupid.
The play comes with a cast of 12, most of which double up in different roles, so even continuity is a challenge. The character swaps are extremely fast. It also happens to be a very physical piece, so we needed a truly state-of-the-art set-up. The set is by Romualdo Moretti and I can tell you that it’s quite a complicated one as everything needs to be planned for. Wet costumes, Icarus flying, character swaps... it will be very different from what the audience expects.
Dominic Said, co-director
I help the actors with the Maltese interpretation and feel of the stories. There are 17 in all, with Cupid being the common link, and the whole feel is very Mediterranean. This is why Maltese works so well; the way the characters express themselves really works in our idiom. It’s very poetic and flowery. And, contrary to what many seem to think, there are many Maltese actors who are extremely good at acting in Maltese too. Yes, even in theatre.
This particular cast is amazing; we finalised the names after a rigorous auditioning process and I have to say, we were really lucky. They are all so young, mostly new names, yet they are total professionals. Incidentally, this is the first time I am working with a co-director and I am finding the process extremely interesting.
Trevor Zahra, translation and adaption
I’ll be honest; at first I was not interested in being part of this, mostly because I was worried that it would be a purely technical and scientific process. But then Adrian told me that he wanted me to continue adapting the text and I realised there was a lot of scope for creativity, to put my stamp on it, so to speak.
Working on it was great fun, in reality. It almost felt as though I was working on an original play, I took to the project that well.
I’ve always been a fan of Greek myths, and being able to retell these stories in my own words was a great experience.
Il-Metamorfosi is part of the Malta Arts Festival and is supported by the Malta Arts Fund. The play runs on July 10 (6pm and 9pm) and 11 (9pm) at Fort St Elmo, Valletta. Tickets information are available online or by calling on 7905 6558.
www.unifauntheatre.com