Inclusive theatre production inspired by artists’ own dreams

A new inclusive theatre work, featuring people with intellectual disabilities, will be staged at Spazju Kreattiv, in Valletta  next month.

Is-Siġra tat-Tin (The Fig Tree), written by award-winning playwright Simone  Spiteri and directed by Toni Attard, was co-created with artists from Opening Doors, Malta’s arts organisation for people with intellectual disabilities.

Artists from Opening Doors performing in Is-Siġra tat-Tin.

The production interprets the artists’ own dreams as being like the roots of a fig tree that grow down to the forest floor. Through movement and dramatic scenes, in Maltese and English, the performers share their own stories and aspirations with the audience.  

Denise Camilleri

“We worked intensively with the performers through workshops in movement, creative writing and improvisation, to develop a script that is built on the wonderful material created by each performer,” Attard says.

This process reflects the association’s ethos to promote creative processes and artistic skills with adults with intellectual disabilities that facilitate the creation of their own work and aesthetic.

Justin Spiteri, Kurt Castillo and Mark Zammit Cutajar

The cast, which...