As he tours North America with his one-man show Bad Dad, Maltese comic and playwright Chris Dingli remembers to check in with those back home.
You know Chris Dingli. You’ve seen him at some point on television, on the cinema screen or on stage. You’ll probably even recognise his voice from his radio show.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Dingli is one of Malta’s busiest actors. In recent years we’ve seen him strut his stuff as the hilarious Lonny in Rock of Ages, indulge in philosophical melancholy as Jaques in As You Like It and, of course, bring us to tears of laughter in the annual Comedy Knights show.
After a decade in the UK and a handful of years in Malta, Dingli is taking one of his most successful creations to North America.
Bad Dad is a one-man show that premiered in Malta in late 2015 and which has since been performed in London and various other parts of the UK, including a run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
International touring is a relatively new concept for local theatre productions. Most theatre shows, even those with big local budgets, only run for a couple of weekends – and yet Dingli has decided to take his show stateside, and to perform it in different parts of Canada. Why?
“As one of Malta’s few full-time actors, I am constantly trying to give my productions the chance to develop, while also taking my work to new audiences,” Dingli explains. “Having performed the show in the UK with much success, I wanted to see what the reaction is in North America, the world’s largest English-speaking market.
“Being here is also helping me grow as a professional artiste. I have toured many times before, but this is my first self-produced tour of my own work. I’ve already gained so much experience, and I’ve only been away for a couple of weeks.”
Dingli admits that the tour took a lot of planning, patience and preparation. To fund the project, he embarked on a crowdfunding campaign, memorable for a very funny promotional video featuring Chris and his family, which gained a lot of social media attention in Malta.
He also applied for funding. “The project wouldn’t be possible without the support of the Malta Arts Council’s Cultural Export Fund,” says Dingli. “The Arts Council has supported this project at various stages of its development, from its very first presentation overseas to this tour.”
He also turned to industry experts in the tiny world of Malta’s professional performing arts industry. Engage Creatives is a Maltese company that merges artistic and managerial best practices to support creatives, develop projects, link businesses and connect communities.
Dingli is adamant that their mentorship has been invaluable. “They are artistic professionals producing and touring shows internationally. There’s less than a handful of Maltese people doing that, and in my opinion, they are the best at what they do.”
Bad Dad has now premiered in Windsor, Ontario, marking both the show’s and Dingli’s North American debut performance. “I think they loved it!” he grins. “As a show about parenting, it’s a universal subject that most people can relate to,” says Dingli.
Being away from your family is definitely the toughest thing about touring
“The nice thing about it is that you don’t have to be a parent to enjoy it, and it also touches upon some very specific Maltese peculiarities. It’s a story about being human, trying to deal with the terrific highs and heartbreaking lows of the roller-coaster ride that is the first year of parenthood. It’s a funny, recognisable and ultimately heartwarming tale about fatherhood, growing up and sweet baked goods!”
Touring is standard practice in the theatre world outside Malta. All kinds of shows, from huge Broadway productions to tiny little plays performing in schools, constantly tour. It’s a good way of creating a viable business out of a theatre project.
Over the years working as an actor, Dingli has performed in many tours across the UK. What’s the best thing about touring?
Dingli is quick to reply: “Seeing new places and performing for new people. It’s amazing how audiences differ from city to city. It’s very exciting. Thanks to previous tours, I’ve been lucky enough to visit places that I would otherwise never have visited.” He is equally quick to point out the hardest aspects of being away on tour. “Being away from your family is definitely the toughest thing about touring. Also, if the touring schedule is very busy, constant travel can be exhausting. Plus eating on the go for weeks on end can have a terrible effect on your health. Some people find it quite lonely, living out of a suitcase, but I enjoy the nomadic aspect of it.”
It’s not all work, however. As Dingli points out: “I’m very lucky to be doing this. Not only am I performing my own work in a country I’ve never visited before, I’ll also get some time to enjoy the place and meet people. I’ll be spending Canadian Thanksgiving in Toronto with friends and catching up with family in Vancouver. I’ll also be travelling through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. I’m actually very fond of touring and am writing an e-book about it.”
A particular challenge producing this tour is selling tickets. While Dingli is a bankable name in Malta, he is new to Canadian audiences. Marketing is expensive and bringing audiences to see a new production can be challenging. “If any Maltese readers have friends or family in Vancouver, do let them know about the show and encourage them to come and see it,” he says. “I’d like to thank the Consulate General of Malta in Toronto who are really supporting the production.”
What about future productions? Dingli says he hopes it won’t be long before other Maltese productions follow. “I’d like to establish long-term collaborations with venues to act as a vehicle for future presentations of other projects,” he says.
Bad Dad was performed in Windsor, Ontario, on October 4, in Toronto at the Toronto Centre for the Arts on October 6, and in Calgary on October 10. The tour will end in Vancouver with a performance on October 27 at a popular venue called the Cultch.
Further information and tickets are available at the show’s website at www.baddadshow.com. You can follow Dingli’s progress on tour on social media on Twitter (@baddadshow), Facebook (facebook.com/baddadshow) and Instagram (@cdingli).