I had vowed to myself not to write about theatre this week, but with such an important topic, I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t.

First of all, let me explain where I come from. When the idea that the old Opera House site should host a parliament building was first issued, I was one of the most vocal people against the idea. Let me be clear. I had and still have no problems with parliament finding a new venue. I just didn’t agree that it should be placed on a site traditionally dedicated to the arts and theatre. I even formed a very successful facebook group about it and got support from different areas both locally and abroad.

Now the plans are out. Piano’s designs include both a Parliament building in Freedom Square and an open-air theatre on the old opera house site. My position on this, not that it should interest anyone, is that I have no objection to this. What I do have is questions on functionality. But let me elaborate.

First of all, I think it is high time that we had an open-air theatre in Malta. The one at Ta’ Qali is a joke and is never used. This could be the solution. I have seen Piano’s designs and have seen the intelligence in the planning. We will have a theatre that can be moulded to accommodate different types of performances, be it classic or modern. No theatre in Malta so far can do that successfully, with the possible exception of St James Cavalier, but that space is far too small. I agree with the concept of an open-air theatre because it will offer theatre new possibilities in the summer months, when everything connected to theatre seems to die off. If this space is built properly, keeping performance as the priority and people who live theatre are consulted and their advice taken on, then I think that we have a very interesting project.

Some might protest that we already have open spaces used for performance. True, but that does not make them good spaces. A square with seating facilities remains a square with seating facilities. It doesn’t become a theatre. Others will protest that in the winter months this space will be of no use. Maybe. But I have been to London and attended open-air performances in the rain. The world’s most famous theatre, the Globe, is open-air to some extent. Also, I would argue that an open-air theatre does not have to be functional in the winter months. So isn’t it better to have a proper theatre instead? Not necessarily. The fact that we still need a proper modern theatre takes nothing away from the fact that we also need an open-air space. My reasoning is that we are Mediterranean people. Mediterranean theatre is usually open-air, so let us be honest with what we need. My suggestion to the traditional theatre dilemma would be to look into the Mediterranean Conference Centre and arrange that space into a usable space. I have been to the Olivier and the Lyttleton in London. Both are similar to the MCC in structure and yet have no acoustics problems, no functionality problems whatsoever. And they seat more or less the same amount. So, why can’t we amalgamate that project to the Piano project (I am sure Piano could design a proper theatre in that space) and get a proper theatre in the bargain. Money for culture is available through the EU, so the argument that we can’t spend more money is non-existent.

Does this mean that I endorse Dr Piano’ designs completely? No. I still have questions of functionality. One important factor is that careful planning of activities in the area now becomes imperative. We can’t have, say, an Isle of Malta MTV concert going on nearby if there is to be a performance. Other questions that come to mind: Will the locals be sending me the police if a production is too noisy? Will I be able to produce an adult performance in this space or are we only envisaging Mary Poppins productions? Will the noise of the different festas affect a performance? Will I be able to stage a performance if there is a parliamentary session next door? Some might find these questions trivial, but to producers like me, they are not. You will forgive us for believing ourselves to be artists and for wanting the perfect conditions for our work. If these ‘trivialities’ are not taken into consideration, the open-air theatre space will be just another failure, like the one at Ta’ Qali; a space that no self respecting artist can use.