• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Contact
  • About Us
    • Published Works
  • Privacy Policy

  • Home
  • FOOD
  • ARTS
    • BOOKS
      • Beltin: Stejjer Minn Nies Minsija
    • THEATRE
    • MUSIC
  • FASHION
  • NEWS
You are here: Home / THEATRE / So this week Appuntamenti returns to our stages

So this week Appuntamenti returns to our stages

October 28, 2019 by Ramona Depares Leave a Comment

A game-changer for Maltese theatre, Simone Spiteri’s work is once again being produced by Du Theatre.

Ten years ago, Appuntamenti was staged by Du Theatre. The script, penned by Simone Spiteri, went on to win the National Francis Ebejer playwriting competition that year.

It turned out to be a seminal moment  for Malta’s theatre scene. Appuntamenti was written in Maltese, by a young Maltese writer. A female, no less. Today, any reference to the gender of the playwright may appear irrelevant, even sexist. In 2009 it certainly was not.

With Appuntamenti, Spiteri broke through the unspoken gender (and language!) barriers to write and produce an award-winning theatre production. At the time, it was a feat.

I would argue that even had Appuntamenti seen the first light of day today, in 2019, it would still be a feat for precisely the same reasons.

This does not shine a positive light on the evolution of our theatre scene, but that is a different topic for a different post.

Back to Appuntamenti, which is being given a well-deserved second run this weekend.

I was lucky enough to be invited to attend a rehearsal for Appuntamenti on Monday, right before the troupe moved to the Splendid in Straight Street, which should be a very appropriate location for the piece.

Simone Spiteri & Jes Camillieri. Photo: Facebook

In 2009, Appuntamenti was the first piece of contemporary – for want of a better word – local theatre I had experienced. The Made In Malta label could be applied from start to finish; everything about script and production was Maltese.

It is undeniable that this quintessential ‘Malteseness’ contributes in no small measure to the impact  that the six characters around whom Appuntamenti is built have on the audience.

We can empathise with the emotional damage of characters created by the likes of Haruki Murakami, Gabriel Garcia Marquez (a recurring reference in the script) and Isabelle Allende till the cows come home.

But reality is that a homegrown script and a narrative that highlights the dysfunctionalities particular to the Maltese Id, will always pinch harder. Only the Maltese expression will suffice here – jaqtgħu fil-laħam il-ħaj.

And this is precisely what makes Appuntamenti the game-changer that is. The universal themes of love, loneliness, inadequacies are applied to the local context with devastating efficacy.

Ten years on, I am surprised to see how its relevance has not diminished at all. Barring a few minor adjustments to make allowance for the evolution of society, it appears that the text stands pretty much untouched.

A full decade later, the characters remain as relatable as when they were first birthed. It is a testament to Spiteri’s understanding of the human psyche, and her prowess with character-building.

The narrative premise at its heart is a simple one. We meet Anna, Julia, Sarah, Chris, Mark and Patrick, solitary figures around a bus stop.  And we proceed to witness how their varying degrees of loneliness, selfishness and insecurities lead to a series of what today may be termed bad decisions, relationships wise.

It sounds like a simple premise, and in fact it is. It is a scenario that we have seen being played out in our lives and in the lives of those around us many a time.

And this is precisely why Spiteri’s 2009 script, deserves exactly the same accolades even in 2019.

With Appuntamenti, Spiteri has created an evergreen cast of characters whose very inadequacies make them relatable across decades. Spiteri’s pen stops short of turning them into ‘losers’ in the eyes of the audience. And, instead, they become simply ‘us’.

The cast is made up of Kristjana Casha, Simone Spiteri, Michela Farrugia, Clint Chircop, Mark Mifsud and Jes Camilleri. Appuntamenti is written and directed by Simone Spiteri and produced by Dù Theatre.

The play is being staged this weekend. Tickets are available here. Not only that, the book containing the scripts of both Appuntamenti and the more recent Repubblika Immakulata will be available on site.

For more theatre-related posts click here and here.

Filed Under: THEATRE Tagged With: Appuntamenti, Du Theatre Appuntamenti, Francis Ebejer Prize, Malta, Maltese theatre, Simone Spiteri

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Theatre Highlights

An ensemble of top-level performers does full justice to the most iconic pieces from popular musicals.

Dario Fo’s satire remains as cutting as ever.

Food Highlights

Gorgeous experience at The Harbour Club

palazzo-parisio-new-menu

A trusty stalwart that delivers a flawless experience.

Fashion Highlights

pink-fashion-party

An eclectic list of guests and designers celebrated fashion

Mark Mallia

A re-interpretation of the white crow

Books Highlights

taht-il-kappa-tax-xemx

Ever relatable satire that’s funny and disturbing

battle-for-sicily-soul

Meticulously-researched, accurate and gripping

Arts Highlights

kane-cali-i-dont-have-a-theory

A journey that sees the artist letting go of structure

it-teatru-tal-miskin

Excels on all fronts, a real game-changer

News Highlights

simon-rogan-ion-harbour

Sustainable, ethical and makes your toes curl in delight

comedy-knights-book

Need some Christmas cheer? Here’s the perfect stocking-filler

Footer

  • Home
  • FOOD
  • ARTS
    • BOOKS
      • Beltin: Stejjer Minn Nies Minsija
    • THEATRE
    • MUSIC
  • FASHION
  • NEWS

Copyright Ramona Depares © 2023

Manage Cookie Consent
We use cookies to optimize our website and our service.
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
View preferences
{title} {title} {title}