1881 Teatru Malta: An Immersive Journey into Malta’s Fractured Past and Future
1881, a groundbreaking theatre experience by Teatru Malta Friday 31 January 2025 at 09:49 am1881 Teatru Malta: A Journey into Malta’s Fractured Past and Future
by Nataša Pantović
1881 brings together an impressive array of talent from local theatre, storytelling, and game design, with each piece of the experience working seamlessly to draw the audience in. The show balances immersion with voyeurism, making you feel both like a participant and an observer — like a puppeteer manipulating the strings, while also being the marionette caught in its dance. Its exploration of Malta's past dependence on external forces resonates with the characters’ own struggles, offering a sensory journey that's as much about reflection as it is about emotional engagement. It’s truly an unforgettable ride.
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1881, an immersive theatre experience by Teatru Malta, isn’t your typical theatre outing. The production takes place in a crumbling mansion, Villa Bologna, and presents an alternative version of Malta in 1881 — where time and space warp, history is reinterpreted, and the apocalypse looms. This review will try to balance the intricate elements of the show while hinting at its historical echoes, without spoiling too much of the experience. The delight lies in the unexpected, in discovering hidden corners of the narrative, and making choices that will ultimately shape your journey.
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The Premise: A World at the Brink
The show kicks off with a masquerade ball, set in a Malta stricken by a deadly plague. Participants are given masks and cloaks, entering a world where the island’s fate mirrors its historical past: dependent on external sources for survival, yet grappling with the forces of scarcity, control, and power. The situation is dire — this is not just a celebration but the last hours before an inevitable end.
Much like how Malta’s population in centuries past relied heavily on imported grain for survival, the characters in 1881 face an impending collapse of their own world, fighting against forces beyond their control. The idea of scarcity and dependence is deeply embedded in the production, reflecting Malta’s own historical dependence on outside forces for sustenance during the Knights of St. John era and later under British rule.
As in the real Malta of the 18th and 19th centuries, where the Grandmaster controlled the wheat trade and the Università was both a supplier and a regulator, the world of 1881 is defined by its restrictive systems and the desperate, often conflicting choices made by those trapped within them. Will you surrender to hedonism, like Mistress Mari, or cling to science and hope for a future? The audience is invited to make choices, to immerse themselves in the world’s intricate webs — just as the Maltese citizens of the past were caught between the control of their rulers and the uncertainty of their external dependencies.
The Experience: Interactive, Immersive, and Unpredictable
After donning my robe and mask, I entered the mansion and immediately felt the weight of the atmosphere, a delicate blend of historical tension and surrealist fantasy.
The beauty of this production lies in the unpredictability of the vignettes that unfold before you. Each part of the house offers a new chapter of the narrative, with different characters performing rituals, quests, or disturbing acts. The narrative is non-linear, so each participant will have a different journey. I deliberately avoided aligning with any one faction, choosing instead to infiltrate every scene I could. This approach, like the Maltese population’s historical choice between hedonism or survival under foreign control, allowed me to witness the dramatic tension between the characters as they navigated their fates.
The Performances:
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The Survivor (Nicholas Jackman): Jackman’s performance was one of the most unnerving. His intensity as a character driven by survival instincts, constantly on edge, was palpable. The tension between this character’s actions and the world around him made for an incredibly engaging experience. Like the Maltese of the past, Jackman’s character was constantly at the mercy of forces beyond his control.
- Will, The Deathseeker (Christian Scicluna): Scicluna’s portrayal was both commanding and vulnerable. I spent a lot of time with his character, trying to unravel the puzzle he presented. His struggles also mirrored Malta’s struggle against its overwhelming external dependencies and the inescapable forces shaping its destiny.
- Eve, The Spiritual (Sandie von Brockdorff): Von Brockdorff’s portrayal of Eve is particularly striking. Her character, dedicated to the idea of salvation and prayer, navigates a world full of moral conflict. Her character's uncompromising faith could be seen as an echo of Malta’s historical struggle for stability and its faith-driven resistance to external forces.
- The Humanist (Becky Camilleri): Camilleri’s character is one of moral balance, offering an alternative to the more extreme factions at play. The subtleties in her performance added to the richness of the world, suggesting a more reasoned approach to the chaos unfolding around her.
- Mistress Mari (Silvana Maimone): As the hedonist, Maimone embodies the immersive theatre experience, keeping her character alive and grounded in a world of decadence, even as it crumbles around her. Her performance brings to mind the Maltese dependency on external resources — her pleasures, too, are fleeting, tied to the fragile state of the world.
- The test subject (Ema Pantovic): Pantovic’s performance in the final scenes of 1881 was haunting. Her character’s madness, resulting from cruel experimentation, was a stark reflection of Malta’s historical connection to slavery and its tragic legacies. Her uncompromising resistance to the world around her mirrored the struggle of enslaved people fighting for autonomy, and her actions at the climax sent a chilling reminder of the pain caused by oppressive forces. Her performance acted as a disturbing counterpoint to the other characters' quests for meaning and survival.
- The remaining characters — The Butler (Philip Leone Ganado), The Maid (Michela Farrugia), and The Doorkeeper (Marija Grech) — act as the guides, leading the audience through the experience and providing a sense of structure in the otherwise disorienting world.
What Worked: Craft, Detail, and Immersive Magic
There is so much to love about 1881 that it's hard to know where to begin. The costumes (designed by Luke Dimech) and set design (by Sven Bonnici) were exquisite — each room felt like a new world unto itself. The small, quirky details, from the props to the faintly sinister aromas in the air, created an immersive experience that fully transported me to another time and place.
The sound design (by Yasmin Kuymizakis) and lighting (by Toni Gialanzé) were masterfully executed. The soundscapes, particularly during the quiet, reflective moments in the garden with Eve, heightened the sense of being lost in another dimension, while the lighting added layers of mystery and tension. The blending of these elements made the experience feel deeply tactile and real.
At no point did I feel like I could predict what would happen next. Just like Malta’s historical vulnerability to external forces, 1881 thrives on its unpredictability, forcing you to adapt, question, and make choices.