Malta’s oldest theatre company returns to San Anton Gardens for its annual appointment with the Bard. And there may be a few (unintentional) surprises in store.
“I like this place and willingly could waste my time in it.”
And how apt that “this place” where these words will be uttered this week happens to be the delightful San Anton Gardens in Attard, the public gardens attached to the official residence of the President of Malta and home, for the best part of 80 years, to the annual Shakespeare performance produced by the Malta Amateur Dramatic Club.
MADC will be returning to its roots this year as they will once again stage the romantic comedy As You Like It, the very same play that started the tradition back in 1938, in the place where it all began.
The club was originally established in 1910 with British expats as the sole members. Queen Elizabeth II became its patron in 1949 when, then still a princess, she lived in Malta for a couple of years and regularly attended the club’s productions. It was not until 1950 that young Maltese actors were allowed to join the club.
During British colonial days, when San Anton was the residence of the British governor and the grounds were used for fairs, teas and other events to raise funds for charity, the MADC was approached to put together “suitable entertainment” in aid of the Civil Hospitals. Judy Slessor undertook the “hazardous and risky task” of producing the club’s first open-air Shakespeare, which was so well received that it was hoped the event would become an annual one. Alas, World War II scuppered those plans, and it would be another 13 years before Shakespeare returned to the gardens.
Jacob Sammut - some of the cast of As You Like It: Steffi Thake, Roberta Cefai, Gianni Selvaggi, Jonathan Dunn & Chiara Hyzler
Shakespeare at San Anton is now something of an institution and a summer staple. There is no more magical setting than the beautiful gardens in summer for the Bard’s best loved plays, but creating that magic is no mean feat. MADC artistic director Marylu Coppini reveals the behind-the-scenes challenges, as well as on-stage trials, of staging such an event.
“As with all live theatre, every performance produces its own surprises,” says Marylu, “and the Club’s open-air Shakespeare is certainly no exception to this, exposed as it is to the elements and, in the case of San Anton, to the surprise participation of the resident cat colony, the odd rat, shrill peacock cries and the ear-splitting sound of jet-engines flying overhead, not to mention surrounding festa fireworks.”
That’s some special effects, not all appropriate or appreciated, and there have been some memorable clangers as well as some technical challenges which were rather creatively resolved. “In Jon Rosser’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 1986, when Oberon and Titiana met by moonlight, they were actually hoisted up in their own individual fork-lift trucks!” recalls Marylu. “Lino Farrugia’s rare and spectacular production of Julius Caesar in 1988 involved a very large cast (there were many keen volunteers in those days) while Chris Gatt’s production of Merry Wives of Windsor in 2006, which was in modern dress, featured a huge ‘portable’ swimming pool, with water!”
“The challenge of turning a public garden into a theatre are obviously numerous and also expensive, especially as modern audiences have now come to expect a much higher level of professionalism than they did 50 years ago,” points out Marylu.
“The level of acting all round has to be high of course, as does the lighting design, sound score, costumes and the staging in general. This means transporting heavy equipment which then has to be set up, co-ordinated and fully rehearsed in the minimum of time and the barest of facilities,” she adds.
This year the challenge has fallen in the hands of Philip Leone Ganado, who is more used to directing Shakespeare in the intimate, though no less tricky, space of a pub. He is a veteran Shakespeare actor, so he has first-hand experience of what it is like to perform al fresco in the gardens.
“Performing at San Anton under the stars in such a beautiful setting is always a magical experience in itself,” says Philip. “Part of the fun is the possibility of the unexpected, from one of the garden’s peacocks interrupting one of Romeo’s most famous speeches, to a cat walking up to the stage for some of the chicken I had to eat during The Taming of the Shrew. There was also the time when the entire cast was reduced to bellowing their lines out during a nearby fireworks display that seemed to go on for hours,” recalls Philip.
Jacob Sammut - Michael Mansion & Gianni Selvaggi in "As You Like It"
Philip is bringing the same high energy from his famous stripped-down, small-cast versions of his Shakespeare pub productions to this year’s As You Like It, with a contemporary setting taking inspiration from a forest festival. “Actors will be doubling roles across the play’s two settings - court and forest - and we have modern versions of Shakespeare’s songs composed by Laura Marling, which will be played and sung live,” reveals Philip.
“We’ll also be focusing on the accessibility of the text. Whether As You Like It is your favourite play or you’ve never seen Shakespeare before, you should be able to understand it and have a great time,” he adds.
And he seems to be embracing the challenges of this very special setting too. “You’re effectively creating a theatre from scratch every year, so logistically it is quite a challenge,” admits Philip. “There’s also the wind or summer fireworks to take into account, so there’s a lot more to deal with than in a traditional space. But in many other ways, it’s not that different: on the night it’s still just actors, an audience, a stage and a story.”
“As a setting, there really is not much that can compare with San Anton at night on a summer evening. In our case, trying to evoke the magical Forest of Arden, the gardens really do half the work for us,” he adds.
Jacob Sammut - Roberta Cefai & Gianni Selvaggi in "As You Like It"
And it seems that, after 80 years, Shakespeare has found a natural home in San Anton gardens, thanks to the creativity and ingenuity of a highly dedicated team at MADC, as its artistic director points out.
“Much to the frustration of directors, there have been moments when comedy reared its head in the middle of a tragedy, but the historic, scenic venue together with the huge effort put in by all concerned have always paid off to turn these performances into a unique and much-loved annual tradition of theatre in Malta,” says Marylu.
As You Like It, directed by Philip Leone Ganado is at San Anton Gardens, Attard, from 13th July to 22nd July (no performance on 15th July) at 8:30pm. Tickets €12 for the first night, €15 and €20 for all other nights. Book here.