We've caught wind of another promising performance for theatre goers to pencil in this summer! This July, Teatru Malta, together with the Malta International Arts Festival, will be presenting highly anticipated summer production Pope Joan at the historically iconic Mdina Ditch on the 6th and 7th, and again between the 9th and 12th July.

Directed by German director Irene Christ, this incredible show will mark her return to directing locally. Yep, Christ is no stranger to the local theatre scene, and has worked as both an actress and director on the isle and overseas for a number of years.

The exciting open-air show has been in the works for months, and will tell the story of a prodigy, played by Maria Buckle, who chooses to defy all odds by challenging the highly conservative male-dominated society she was born into. We're loving this already!

The play centres around Joan, a defiant and determined female who will stop at nothing to acquire the knowledge she’s been unfairly denied. Why? Because she's a woman, and one who refuses to concede to the constraints that are imposed upon her. Gurl, you do you. But wait, it gets juicier...

Instead, she focuses on learning to read behind her father’s back by disguising herself as a boy, to further her learning at a monastery where she’s be accepted as a male monk... until eventually becoming (as legend has it), the first and only female Pope to have ever lived. Scandalous!

We’re so excited to find out how Christ tackles this hot-topic plot based on the novel by Donna Woolfolk Cross. The star-studded cast that will be bringing the play to life include Antonella Axisa, Chris Galea, Faye Paris, Alan Paris, Mikhail Basmadjian, Alex Weenink, Michael Mangion, Joe Depasquale, Stephen Mintoff, Peter Galea, Ileana Sammut, Julian Zammit and Miguel Azzopardi.

For tickets and more information about this spectacular show, visit the website.