New theatre collective The Shrinking Violets is getting ready to stage a gothic-style horror inspired by the likes of Edgar Allen Poe and Alfred Hitchcock.

Ernest and the Pale Moon by Oliver Lansley will be staged at Palazzo de la Salle in Valletta on October 27-29 and November 3-5. The spine-chilling show will star Thomas Camilleri, Jo Caruana, Chris Galea and Chiara Hyzler, and is being directed by Denise Mulholland.

“Based on a short story by Lansley, the play focuses on Ernest Hemel, a man who spends his days watching the beautiful young woman who lives in the apartment block opposite,” says Mulholland.

“Upon seeing her with another man, he is thrown into a jealous rage which appears to have catastrophic consequences – although all may not be what it first seems...”

We chose Ernest and the Pale Moon as our first piece because it has given us plenty of scope for collaboration

The Shrinking Violets is a new theatre collective led by Maria Buckle, Caruana, Hyzler, Cathy Lawlor and Mulholland.

It is primarily focused on creating dynamic and collaborative work in cooperation with other artists from Malta and beyond.

“We chose Ernest and the Pale Moon as our first piece because it has given us plenty of scope for collaboration, with artists including Luke Saydon, who has written the original score, and Moritz Zavan Stoeckle and Late Interactive who have created the lighting design and concept,” the director points out.  “We hope that this script – which was first staged at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2009 to great acclaim – will provide the first of many opportunities for us to highlight the wonderful talent that exists within Malta’s dynamic artistic pool.”

Tickets for Ernest and the Pale Moon are available online at www.ticketline.com.mt. Opening night tickets are selling at a reduced price.