projects.
Ħal Mitfa
When Maria’s father vanishes without a trace, she is thrust unwittingly into a magical world unlike any other in her quest to find him. Guided by a craven rooster bard, Maria faces a succession of deadly perils, while also avoiding the evil clutches of the vile snake lady. Join our teenage heroine Maria on her quest throughout the seven-day festival. Meet the giant rooster-bard puppet, who once ruled the magical realm of Mitfa, and his folk band. Accompany Maria to hidden corners of the city as the story unfolds each day. The story unfolds every day in seven episodes. Each episode is a stand-alone performance. Audiences may opt to attend any of these performances or follow the missing episodes online on www.ziguzajg. org. Performances from Monday to Saturday are ticketed. No tickets are needed for the Sunday performance since the final chapter of the story will be unveiled in the main streets of Valletta.
Ages: All ages
Created for Żigużajg 2013 by the rubberbodies collective
Translation to Maltese & Lyrics: Leanne Ellul
ħajkuħajk
ħajkuħajk brings together the Maltese and Japanese cultures through creative writing. Children aged between nine and 12 will be able to experience writing as a structured and interdisciplinary process, while enjoying themselves in surroundings that will inspire haiku. Each session will be based on methods that have already been pedagogically tested, and that will make it easy for children to get to know the genre before deviating from it by deconstructing poems and rewriting them, and writing new ones too. Finally, the children will be able to present their writings in an environment which puts them at the centre. There will also be Ku and Bu… but you will meet them on the day!
Ages: 9+
Created for Żigużajg 2014 by Leanne Ellul and Kit Azzopardi
Photo: Elisa von Brockdorff
Ċumm! Paqq! Bumm!
What sound does the colour yellow make? And what does the sound of the word ċlaħħ bring to mind? What sound do you make when you clap your hands? In Ċumm! Paqq! Bumm! we will explore the various senses in relation with the sounds produced by people and other instruments. What for you is pespes might be twitt twitt to someone else and twitt twitt can have a red or dark green colour. Or the taste of tea? This installation and its complementary workshop will inspire the children’s senses so that they can interpret the sound of words and perhaps even create a few words of their own.
Ages: 4 - 6
Created for Żigużajg 2015 by Leanne Ellul and Kit Azzopardi
Fab Fantasy Fables with Chucky
Get ready for Fab Fantasy Fables with your favourite Drag Queen Storyteller, Chucky! This five-episode bilingual extravaganza takes your most beloved classics, shakes them up, turns them inside out and twists them upside down.
Whether it’s an alternate ending to a well-known tale or a story from the baddie’s perspective, Fab Fantasy Fables is a celebration of creativity and playfulness, encouraging children to use their wild imaginations to tell their own stories.
Ages: 8+
Drag Queen Storyteller: Chucky Bartolo
Characters: Chucky Bartolo
Direction: Vikesh Godhwani
Story Adaptations: Vikesh Godhwani
Costume Design: Chucky Bartolo
Video Editing: Chucky Bartolo
Translation: Leanne Ellul
Main Visual Illustration: Julian “Julinu” Mallia