Monday 19th November is set to see the start of the second edition of the ZiguZajg International Arts Festival for Children and Young People. The festival, which will include twenty-four local and international productions featuring music, story-telling, animation, film, dance and theatre, will take place in various venues in Valletta and also in Gozo, coming to an end on Sunday 25th November with a Celebration Parade in the afternoon.

In Gozo, The Rubberbodies Collective (Malta) are inviting human beings to leave behind the world of grown ups and come on an adventure to totally different world. A place of puzzling machines and curious puzzles.

A place where Mrs Stork, a creator of curious machines and her friends have embarked on a quest to solve another of her mysteries! Where did this egg come from and where is the missing piece to her latest machine?

The play, ‘Mrs Stork’s Mysterious Egg,’ is aimed at children between 4 and 6 years of age and it being performed as part of the ZiguZajg National Festival for Children.

There will be two performances of the play, the first on Monday, the 19th of November and the second on Tueday, the 20th of November, at Dr.Anton Buttigieg, Qala Primary School Hall, Bishop Buttigieg street.

Monday and Tuesday at 09.00am until 10.00am and 10.45am until 11.45am.There will also be ‘The Bright Day,’ a theatre performance with live music about a man who was once imprisoned and who now refuses to leave his asylum. A man who grew up without words, or the ability to speak or think… a man who is forced to jump back into the world as a newly born child, and learn how to face real life!

This play is aimed at children between 11 and 16 years of age and will be performed in English.

It is produced by Dobrar (Portugal) as part of ZiguZajg National Festrival for Children and is being performed at Prof. Guze’ Aquilina, Sannat Primary School Hall, Sannat Road, Sannat, on Wednesday, the 21st of November. There will be two performances, one from 9.00am until 10.00am and the second from 11.30am until 12.30pm.

For more information on the performances in Gozo, please call 22156700.

Throughout the week of the Festival, St. George’s Square in Valletta will also host the interactive village of Frulli Frilli, based on the adventures of Saver de Molizz, the well known character brought to life by author Clare Azzopardi.

The festival programme boasts a rich variety of Maltese and international productions designed for young audiences, including specially commissioned works, which will make for an exhilarating and unforgettable experience. Children will be enthralled by productions such as In a Fix, a delightful story about three birds who were once princesses, presented by Dutch company Stella Den Haag; The Frog Prince, by the German Meininger Theatre, a puppet show based on the fairytale by the Brothers Grimm; and Droplets, presented by Società della Civetta from Italy, a performance about water as an essential resource not to be wasted, but to be valued and loved.

Meanwhile, in Mrs Stork’s Mysterious Egg, Maltese company The Rubberbodies Collective invites human beings to leave behind the world of grownups and go on an adventure to a totally different world. Featuring a wonderful blend of puppetry, storytelling and sumptuous visuals, Cloud Man is presented by the Ailie Cohen company from the UK. Young patrons will also be wowed by Bamboozle’s inventive show Crazy Hair, also from the UK.

Among the works specially commissioned for ZiguZajg, there is It-Torri Magiku, presented by The Factory Media Group; the audio-visual experience Multinauti, a Mighty Box Games production; the dance extravaganza Flip Flop, Shapely Creatures and Blooming Creatures; Laughing Matters Ltd’s attempt at explaining science, Everything you need to know about Science (More or Less); and specifically for teens, the play written by Simone Spiteri Il-Hajja xejn cool ta’ teenager jismu Julian. Hrejjef, presented by Soundscape, has combined contemporary music and Maltese folktales within an interdisciplinary performance.

Teenage audiences also cannot miss the performance by critically acclaimed UK dance theatre company Gecko, who will be presenting Missing, a visually stunning, visceral, physical performance. Direct from sell-out seasons in New York, Sydney, and Auckland, the Perth Theatre will be taking us on The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer, while Portuguese company Dobrar are presenting The Bright Day, a theatre performance with live music about a man who was once imprisoned and who now refuses to leave his asylum. Moving from theatre to film, ZiguZajg is proud to present Kauwboy, a Dutch film and winner of the inaugural European Young Audience Award earlier this year. Rick Lens, the young actor who plays the lead part in this film, will be in Malta for the movie’s premiere on Saturday 24th November.

Tickets to the ziguzajg Festival are free of charge but subject to booking via the festival website at www.ziguzajg.org. Tickets can be collected from St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity in Castille Square, Valletta.

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