Backdrops to our history
Farsons Foundation supports research theatre history through RIDT
Vicki Ann Cremona spent decades thinking about the dusty pile lurking in an inaccessible cubby-hole at the very top of the Manoel Theatre, beyond the grid from where scenery is let down. She had been taking part in a panto and had wandered off up to the darker parts of the building – but there was not much she could do at the time as the thought of bringing them all down from there was out of the question. Intrigued, she dreamt of the day when she could investigate them further.
“It was clearly a major find … and a major project!” she recalled.
The years passed by but another theatre lover, architect Adrian Mamo, had by then also discovered the scenery and managed to open up and photograph a few, he too realising that these were scenography from the 19th and 20th centuries. And also, from their size, many of them were not from the Manoel Theatre but must have been brought there for safekeeping when the Royal Opera House was bombed during World War II.
“He mentioned the scenery during one of his lectures at the University on scenography and one of my students, Daniel Formosa, told me that he wanted to do his dissertation about them. It was the opportunity I had been waiting for!” she said, noting that this had also led to their joint work on a short film for the National Library. It is also leading to a documentary with filmmaker David Serge, that is being financed through the University’s Excellence Fund.
By now the Resident Academic and Professor of Theatre Studies at the University of Malta, Vicki Ann faced her first hurdle: getting permission from the Culture Minister Owen Bonnici was actually easier than she thought, but bringing the scenery down was harder.
“It was a nightmare – there was very little light and we had to use the torch on our mobile phones! We could only access the cubby-hole by walking across a plank, and we would pick the heavy scenes one by one and hand them across to the University workmen who were standing at the other end of the plank on a spiral staircase, so that they could carry them down. We all ended up covered in dust from head to toe!” she recalled.
It was a bounty beyond her wildest dreams: 360 pieces, many of them paper, some canvas. The unwieldy pieces were all moved to the University, where they are being kept under lock and key – but the work needed to start as soon as possible. The ones that were folded with the pictures facing inside were mostly in quite good condition, but the humid environment meant that they were all covered in dust and mould, and there had also been some water damage. Others were very damaged, and the paint had flaked off.
“There were many tears and rips…” she lamented, adding that the pieces are too fragile to ever be used again unless they are mounted on a backing that supports all their weight.
They were so large that Vicki Ann, assisted by a team of people – including university workers, family, friends and student volunteers intrigued by the find – arranged to have the seats removed from the Valletta Campus theatre so that they could be opened up on the floor, one at a time.
“It took at least eight people to open one!” she recalled.
With the invaluable help of Anthony Spagnol, the chief painting conservator from Heritage Malta, the small team were able to apply first aid – especially first interventions to remove the mould.
Having to work in between the busy theatre schedules just before and after COVID-19 meant that the process took years, although more work was done using the hall at St Joseph School in Blata l-Bajda, which was generously lent for the project, and even the University gym.
Each and every piece was catalogued and given a unique identifier. A huge spreadsheet was slowly populated with all sorts of details, with colour coding and description to detailed measurements. Some pieces had indications regarding which performance they were used for, but the majority remain a mystery. The scenes were documented photographically by James Moffett from University, particularly by means of a drone used indoors.
Apart from the photos, Rosalie Formosa, an art teacher from St Joseph School, prepared sketches and is now even making models as they will help the researchers to understand how the scenes were used on stage.
Stories emerge from the smallest details: some of the sections had been folded back and secured with nails through the fold, indicating that they may have been adapted for use in other, smaller theatres.
All this information is just the tip of the iceberg for Vicki Ann. She is writing a book about the Royal Opera House, its history and its scenography. Daniel Cilia has photographed the entire collection in view of creating a highly-illustrated, full-colour book. The work will be published by Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti.
Vicki Ann hopes her book will fill in the gaps left by other writers. Her research led her to take a one-year sabbatical from the University and, in her own words, she “lived at the National Archives and the National Library”.
“I was there every single day including Saturdays, and loved every minute!”
Her quest to find information knows no bounds. She went to the Notarial Archives to examine contracts, checked police permits and even the plans filed at the Public Works Department. She has even managed to find samples of the theatre’s wallpaper! She is constantly looking out for people who can show or lend her material, and has found very generous help in that respect.
“We are all curious to know more about the Royal Opera House. [Architect] Barry created such minute sketches of the outside. But there are such vague descriptions of the interior and we need to describe it properly, floor by floor. It was such a huge part of the cultural calendar; in one particular season, there were 23 operas!”
She admits that she has already got to 78,000 words, and that her problem is what to leave out, rather than finding enough material to include. A book that size – with full-colour photos – is not cheap, which is where Farsons, after being approached by RIDT to support this project, stepped in as sponsors to help with its publication.
She was full of praise for Farsons’ family member Giuseppe Farrugia, describing him as “a fantastic impresario who brought very important artistes to Malta”. However, she is certain that her work will give rise to new research and finds.
“I hope that the book will inspire others to keep digging as I am sure that there is a lot more material out there. It would be wonderful if this book led to more discoveries about this amazing location!” she said.
