Premju għall-Arti nominee for Artist of the Year Mikhail Basmadijan tells Iggy Fenech all about his upcoming project: the politically-charged play, En Folkefiende – An Enemy of the People.
Some 136 years ago, a Norwegian playwright by the name of Henrik Ibsen presented En Folkefiende to the world. The script of the play told the story of Tom Stockmann, a scientist employed by the new spa that was set to be opened in his Norwegian home town. Everything was going well until Tom discovered a dark secret about the spa that could endanger the whole town. Deciding to go to the local newspapers with the secret, his actions set forth a chain of events that put media, politics and public good on a collision course…
Fast forward to Malta today, and that story loosely but definitely resembles the situation we find ourselves in in this post-Daphne Caruana Galiza assassination and post-truth era. Which makes it very fitting, in fact, that Unifaun Theatre Productions are staging the Brad Birch’s 2016 adaptation of the 1882 classic, En Folkefiende – An Enemy of the People, in a week’s time.
“The subject matter of this play will always be relevant to any society and any era because it raises eternal questions which will never be answered objectively, such as: What is ‘the truth’ and do we always need to tell and know the truth? Is it more socially and politically correct to, at certain times, withhold the truth from the public to avoid havoc and mass hysteria? What comes first: family well-being or ‘the truth’? Should brother betray brother on the basis of principles? What is freedom of press and how free should we be to express our opinions in a democratic society? Is democracy simply about stating facts even if one knows that these will create mass disturbance and hurt the system?” ponders Mikhail, whose career on stage and TV spans almost three decades, and who will now be taking up the role of Dr Stockman.
All these questions, in fact, are what Toni Attard – who is making a comeback to theatre following his three-year stint as the Director of Strategy at Arts Council Malta – wants to explore through his direction of the all-star cast that is made up of Anthony Ellul, Simone Spiteri, Antonella Axisa, Victor Debono, Philip Leone Ganado, Jean Marc Cafà and Raquel Theuma.
“Toni and I have spent a lot oftime discussing Tom’s motivation and trying to create stories in order to fill the gaps in between the scenes,” Mikhail continues when I ask him about the rehearsal process.
The subject matter of this play will always be relevant to any society and any era
For this play in particular, that is incredibly fruitful as the main difference between Ibsen’s original and Birch’s adaptation is character development, and the personal and professional relationships the various protagonists share with each other.
“Deeper than political outcomes and eventual consequences, I would say this play deals with human nature: our characters and inherent nature-v-nurture attributes are what shape our opinions and behaviour,” he adds. “Tom believes in speaking the truth at all costs, even if exposing cover-ups could, in turn, hurt his family.
“The way I see the script, speaking the truth and seeking all-out justice is not a political decision for Tom but rather a decision that stems from his character… He is a man of principle, obsessed with doing what he thinks is right and who wants to create a better, safer world, even at the expense of his own, as well as his family’s, well-being. Is this a narcissistic trait mixed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, or are there really people like him in this world?”
The parallels with Malta are no coincidence either, as both producer Adrian Buckle and Toni are bringing the play to stage to continue the discussion over the themes it tackles and which are so pertinent to our islands. In fact, to help fuel the debate, Rachel Attard (the editor-in-chief of The Malta Independent), Matthew Vella (the executive editor of MaltaToday), and our very own Herman Grech (the online editor of The Times of Malta and presenter of Times Talk) have been invited to lead a discussion on opening night (Friday, March 9), while the adaptor of the play, Brad Birch, will discuss the meaning and legacy of the play on closing night (Sunday, March 18).
Meanwhile, the play will also give avid theatregoers a lot to sink their teeth into: Romualdo Moretti, who has previously created sets for Rai 1, has been tasked with creating the Nordic-style, clean set; while M Space will lend itself incredibly well to the fly-on-the-wall effect the play intends audiences to feel. And, of course, there is the cast, headlined by Mikhail, who is a nominee for the much-coveted Premju għall-Arti Artist of the Year award for his performance in Trevor Zahra’s Il-Mitt Fehma tal-Kavallier Giordimaina produced last year by Unifaun.
“It is a great honour,” he tells me. “The character I played in that production was a very interesting, 70-year-old Maltese man who has an opinion on everything. The character was a great challenge for me because he is the complete opposite of what I am in life and in all other aspects – physically, mentally, emotionally… Not to mention the 70 pages of script that I had to learn, with five-page speeches in some scenes, were no joke!”
The prize ceremony for the Malta Arts Council’s Premju għall-Arti is on March 23 but, before that, Mikhail will be putting on Tom Stockman’s shoes in what is set to be one of the most controversial plays of the year. What the outcome of the play will be is still to be seen but what’s certain is that any discussion it raises is already a step away from complacency.
An Enemy of the People takes place on March 9, 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18 at Blue Box at MSpace, Msida. Tickets are available online. For more information call on 7905 6558.
www.bluebox.com.mt