World renowned tenor insists on need for national theatre by Francesca Vella

World famous Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja is emphasising that Malta is in dire need of a national theatre. Malta is the only country in the developed world without one, he told The Malta Independent.

Asked to comment on the Renzo Piano plans for Valletta – City Gate, the open-air theatre on the site where the ruins of the Royal Opera House still stand, and a new parliament building in Freedom Square – Mr Calleja said that while the plans look very nice to his untrained eyes, they do not fulfil the country’s need for a national theatre.

“This is by far not the ideal solution, but at least the space which the opera house occupied will still be retained for cultural use.”

Writing in Facebook recently, Mr Calleja said: “The Maltese government has launched the plans of world renowned architect Renzo Piano and for one I think they are great. I breathe a huge sigh of relief in the knowledge that they are retaining the opera house site for cultural use”.

Interestingly, however, he added: “All we need now is a roof. I do hope that the authorities will go all the way”.

In an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday a couple of months back, Mr Calleja said that turning Valletta’s bombed opera house site into a national theatre could be a fantastic global public relations exercise for Malta.

The ruins of the Royal Opera House have defaced the entrance to the capital city since the Second World War.

If properly handled, the news that the site would be turned into a national theatre could generate excitement across the globe, said Mr Calleja, adding that this interest could then be exploited to launch a proper performing arts festival in Malta.

“Imagine a musical event (not necessarily opera) performed inside the theatre and concurrently screened live to the people in Freedom Square – a scene familiar in many a European city during the spring and summer months.”

Speaking about the main theatres in Valletta, namely the Manoel Theatre, the Mediterranean Conference Centre and the small theatre at St James’ Cavalier Centre for Creativity, the gifted tenor said none of them is properly equipped to function as a modern theatre.

On the cost of running a theatre, Mr Calleja said culture is not just about finances. However, in the whole developed world and in Europe especially, culture is taken very seriously and a lot of money is put into it.

“Having said that, I think that a proper, multi-purpose theatre for the performing arts could eventually break even, or run with negligible loss,” he said.

Malta’s population has risen to almost half a million. Mr Calleja said islands like Menorca in Spain have a year round population of 30,000, but they have a relatively modern theatre and they regularly invite international stars. Another example – Gran Canaria, one of the Canary Islands – boasts three auditoriums/theatres.

Asked about the possibility of some form of privatisation in the field of culture and the arts, Mr Calleja said it would be the ideal way forward.

Businesses, corporations and even well-off individuals could contribute towards the construction and running of a national theatre.

In return, he said, parts of the building could be named in honour of the benefactors, and productions or programmes could also be dedicated to them.

HSBC Malta and Vodafone Malta serve as perfect examples of this, as their respective CEOs go out of their way to help promote culture by means of financial support, said Mr Calleja.

Joseph Calleja’s interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday, published on 31 May, can be found at http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=88841.

Source: The Malta Independent – 26th November 2008