Culture Venture joined forces with Teatru Salesjan, Sliema’s community theatre, to present a new performance season for schools, families and young people. From March to May 2018 three productions for young audiences were presented in a special theatre season called Nuna Palk. The programme reflected the objective of the community theatre to connect all different communities through creativity whilst establishing the theatre building as a centre of culture primarily for the young. Teatru Salesjan wants to encourage young families including the grandparents to share and enjoy the arts together. To support this vision, grandparents were able to attend Nuna Palk for free with family block tickets purchased for any of the productions.
The first season of Nuna Palk presented Maltese productions originally commissioned by ZiguZajg international festival for children and young people. The clowning show Ernesto & Bianca performed in an invented language launched the season in March. The comic duo, Jacob Piccinino and Heloise Suire explore two characters dealing with their own obsessions but manage to connect through their own differences. Ernesto is on a mission to impress Bianca but will he succeed with his obsessively timed and perfectly laid out tea party for two?
In April, Nuna Palk presented Blooming creatures by Moveo Dance Company, winners of the 2017 Best Artist of the Year in the Premju ghall-Arti. Blooming creatures explores how various living creatures interact with their surrounding environment, through dance. Each creature develops a unique interaction with its surrounding habitat depending on its requirements, be it nutrition, oxygen or for the mere form of survival. Blooming Creatures is a mesmerising dance performance with colourful costumes that will capture the imagination of young audiences.
The last production for the season was Land of the big word factory by Teatru Anon, in an English adaptation of the album “La grande fabrique de mots” written by Agnes de Lestrade and illustrated by Valeria Docampo. The inventive performance with beautiful puppetry, music and live projections presents an imaginary land where all words are produced in a huge word factory. No word may be spoken unless it is bought and swallowed. A young boy, Phileas, must find his own way of expressing his love for a young girl Cybele. But what can he do when he can only afford a few words?