Two events for children are taking place in Gozo this week as part of the ZiguZajg International Arts Festival.
Both are being held in the Exhibiton Hall of the Ministry for Gozo. The first show, which is on Tuesday, is The Complete History of Europe (more or less), suitable for children aged 10+ will be performed between 11.00am and noon.
Following the popularity of the first two plays in the More or Less series which originated in the first two editions of the Ziguzajg Festival, the Laughing Matters team will be back with their trademark madcap style; this time tackling the entire history of Europe from the formation of the continent right up to the current formation of the EU.
The show will feature all the elements that made previous More or Less plays, ‘The Complete History of Malta’ and ‘Everything you need to know about Science’, go down so well with their young audiences and will once again star Joseph Zammit and Malcolm Galea.
Then on Wednesday, younger children will be enteratained with ‘The Boy Who Became a Hedgehog’ by the Puppet Theatre Maribor – Slovenia, suitable for children aged 3-5 years. This will be performed between 9.30am and 10.30am and then again betwen 11.30am and 12.30pm.
The story would be nothing more than an ordinary story about an ordinary boy living an ordinary boyish life, if one fine day that boy had not changed into a hedgehog. Although many people might not believe it, the life of a hedgehog is anything but simple and lovely. It is difficult to get out of bed, not to mention crossing a street or hugging a friend.
Also the menu would not thrill any children: only apples and pears and on Sundays perhaps the odd worm for dessert! But this is a performance about an otherwise ordinary boy-hedgehog, who one foggy morning decides that he will never despair and he will instead of apples rather look for his lucky star.
ZiguZajg is an annual International Arts Festival for children and young adults, which has as its vision that of positioning the creative arts for children and young people at the core of Malta’s creative ecology.
The festival aims to do this by showcasing professional arts specifically designed for children and young people in various disciplines at a high level of excellence. It does this through the development of a national repertoire of works for children and young people and by creating an accessible and inclusive artistic programme which increases cultural participation.
ZiguZajg Arts Festival is organised by the St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, a catalyst for the contemporary art scene in Malta, which aims to become a hub were people of all ages and from all walks of life can join in the enriching act of creativity. Through ZiguZajg Arts Festival and other events, the Centre fosters aesthetic and cultural awareness amongst the younger generation.