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Malcolm Galea’s voice has been incessantly leaking from radios for the past eight years. His elongated body has pranced about on theatres on numerous occasions, as well as across Malta’s television screens and the occasional film or two. Now it seems as if his brain is also being exposed to the hapless public as his latest script, Snubbed Actors Inc, takes theatrical form at Saint James Cavalier.
You are a playwright, an actor and a DJ. Which of these do you prefer and why?
Writing is my full-time occupation and I do in fact prefer it to anything else. I love the fact that I am capable of inventing my own places, people and situations. I feel very lucky since although I have an insane amount of work to do – I don’t do anything in life that I don’t thoroughly enjoy. While being very enjoyable, acting and DJing are also outlets and they help out in my writing considerably. I have created many characters that are based on people that I have noticed in a club while reaching for the next song.
Tell us something of the plays you have written so far?
My first ever script, My Friend Tito, was a one-act about two drunken room-mates who are persuaded by a burglar that he is a long lost friend of theirs. It featured drinking, vomiting, and an onstage toilet. Which was used. A year ago I wrote and directed ‘The Play with the Silly Name’ for the MADC One Act Play Festival and it was in a very similar style to the one that I have on now – introspective but with lots of commercial appeal and with a laugh every second line or so. However most of my work is commissioned. I wrote the first act of ‘The Little Sweep’ at the Manoel last October, and I was also commissioned to write this year’s pantomime Cinderella.
What music do you listen to and what do you prefer to play when DJing?
My favourite band is the Red Hot Chili Peppers and I love soft American rock such as Matchbox Twenty and Alanis Morissette. However I can appreciate a wide spectrum of music and when I DJ, I play strictly what the listeners would want to hear.
Should theatre's aim be to entertain or is it mortals trying to create the immortal?
I can only speak for myself and personally I write to entertain. Free time is very precious and if someone is using up theirs to watch your play, it is only polite to make it worth their while. Obviously I put a lot of myself into my works but in a way that will essentially be entertaining – that’s part of the challenge of writing. As for creating the immortal; I specialise in comedy and I find that usually, the best jokes are also the most volatile.
What do you hope to achieve with your writing?
Obviously, every writer aims to reach as many people as possible by creating works that will long outlive their maker. Currently however, my ambitions are far more basic. I would be very happy if I could afford to write all day and spend my leisure time actually doing leisurely things – rather than working a multitude of part-time jobs so as to fund my writing. When I have improved enough I would probably need to go abroad to look for work but I would like to do what I can here before I get to that stage. I love living in Malta and as far as writing is concerned, there is much to be done.
What would you like to see done to achieve a higher quality theatre and attract more people to the shows in Malta?
Considering that people who work in theatre do so as a hobby and not as a full-time occupation, I would be pleasantly surprised if the average quality rose any higher than it is now. However the costs of putting up a play are astronomical and considering the shortness of runs, it is very difficult for producers to even cover their expenses, much less come up with an appropriate wage for cast and crew.
Your current play is 'Snubbed Actors Inc.' Can you tell me something about your role?
Being a duologue, Snubbed Actors Inc. is made up of several short sketches that blend together to make some subtle sort of sense. I play an actor who decides to start up an organisation that looks out for actors along with the other actor – played by Chris Dingli. My character’s personality is essentially quite similar to my own, especially how he tends to be pathetically easy to persuade and overly dramatic at times. He is however more passionate about his project than I have probably been about anything in my life.
Of all the roles you have played so far which is your most memorable and why?
Probably Cliff Bradshaw when I did Cabaret. It wasn’t long after I graduated and I was playing a young writer who was struggling to make ends meet. The similarity between the character and I was creepy, and since his ending was quite tragic, I remember being depressed for ages after each performance.
Did you ever have to prepare for a role in ways that affected your physical appearance or your mental state? Can you tell us something about those experiences?
When I was twenty I had played a transvestite in La Cage aux Folles. I had to shave all my body hair (which is a lot) and walk around in tights, heels, and a padded bra. Although I appreciated the opportunity, the role forced me to explore parts of myself that I wasn’t excessively comfortable with. For the pantomime I also had to be a woman but by then I was self-confident enough to enjoy it. However I need to return to Cabaret for the most mental homework that I ever had to do. Since it was a musical, the character needed to change significantly in a few short scenes. I used to sit on a stairwell behind the stage for ages and get into character. Then I would pen out some poetry so as to see what kind of stuff Cliff Bradshaw would write. I took that role seriously.
Is there a glamorous side to your work? If so what does it add up to?
If there is one, it is very cleverly concealed. All day I write and all night I work. However I wouldn’t dream of doing anything else. Maybe I would be better able to answer that question after I sell a screenplay or two!
What are your future plans?
My primary project right now is my sitcom L-Erbgha l’Huma which will hopefully be airing next season. Very basically it’s a Friends-like sitcom about a somewhat strange Maltese family. My aim is to introduce a new brand of humour to Maltese TV. I also have some more commissions, probably the most exciting of which is the musical 1565 which I am writing with Mro. Paul Abela for Masquerade Theatre Company and the MTA. It will be staged in February 2005 at the MCC.
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