Victoria Local council will be launching ‘Twelve Steps,’ which is an epic timefest journey set in Gozo. The opening will take place on Friday, the 4th of June 2010, at 8:30pm at the Cittadella, Victoria, Gozo.

The history of the island of Gozo has not always faithfully followed the path of the sister island. The island is shrouded in mystery, tales, legends and secrets. A unique interactive experience set in the Citadel of Victoria will try to unravel it all through a trail that will lead to the discovery of the island’s best kept secrets.

This unique interactive experience will involve a game-performance where the public will be free to choose whether to actively take part in it or passively observe the characters in the various selected places around the Citadel. The characters are fourteen in all. They range from the inquisitor to the pirate, from the Knight of Malta to Saint Paul and include abstract themes like death itself.

The game starts with a prisoner who is locked up in the prisons of the Citadel accused on trumped up charges of having conspired against the Knights of Malta and is handed a death sentence by hanging to be carried out at dawn. The poor man is distraught and desperate. He is given a final chance: if he can find someone that will unlock a set of riddles he will be spared. These riddles will only be unlocked by the enigmatic characters that come to life in the Citadel at night. As desperate as he is, he will besiege visitors to solve the riddles for him. There is only one way that of going around the Citadel and find the characters that can solve these riddles.

The prisoner will provide participants with a map of the Citadel and implore them to help him. But this is no easy feat as the characters once found will not easily part away with their secrets. The participant has to understand, guess or do something to arrive to the answers. Each time the participant solves the riddle s/he is given a symbol. Once all the symbols are collected and the riddles solved then the prisoner is spared. But beware; only the brave ones can complete it all. Once a winner is declared s/he is given a prize by the prisoner for saving his life.

The game-performance will be set in the English language and is open to all ages and nationalities. For more information please contact the Victoria Local Council on: rabat.gozo.lc@gov.mt

The Victoria Local Council said that it has embarked on this project under the artistic direction of the Florentine, Mr Alessandro Riccio, because it firmly believes the need for such interactive experiences to give new life to the Citadel and shed more light on the island’s history.

The project concerns an event that is intended to be repeated throughout the summer season on a permanent basis, depending on the demand by tourists and locals.

This year Twelve Steps will run at 8:30pm at the Cittadella Victoria Gozo on the following dates:

4th and 7th June 2010

30th and 31st July 2010

27th and 28th June 2010

17th and 18th September 2010

Mr Alessandro Riccio is a director and actor based in Florence specialising in transforming the theatrical nature of historical places into unique interactive and spectacular experiences full of poetry and charm. He owns the production house TEDAVI ’98 (www.tedavi98.it).

He is being aided locally by co-director Ms Amina Contin, a florentine who lives in Gozo and who is responsible for the artistic set-up of the project.

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