MISCELLANEOUS
Malta Comic-Con
Malta Comic-Con, the ultimate celebration of comics, gaming, cosplay, anime and all things geeky, returns on November 8 and 9 at the Eden Arena in St Julian’s.
There will be panels and exclusive talks, a gaming zone, an artist alley, a mega market and a cosplay competition.
Malta’s own rising stars and global icons in the industry such as Lou Ferrigno, known for his title role in the 1970s series The Incredible Hulk, will be present.
For all the details and updates, visit https://maltacomiccon.com/ and the event’s Facebook page.
Malta Café Scientifique
Researchers Karl Zammit and Keith Thomas Borg will dive into the future of wind energy in the next edition of Malta Café Scientifique at Spazju Kreattiv, Valletta, on November 4 at 7pm.
As the global transition towards clean energy accelerates, the offshore wind sector faces a dual challenge: how to maximise wind farm efficiency and ensure reliable energy storage. Two pioneering research projects from the University of Malta – ParaWIND and StoreWind@SEA – are exploring innovative solutions both above and below the ocean’s surface.
Together, these projects explore complementary innovations – one in the air, one beneath the sea – that aim to reshape the efficiency, reliability and scalability of offshore wind power.
Entrance is free but booking is recommended at spazjukreattiv.org.
Malta Book Festival
This year’s edition of the Malta Book Festival is being held at the Malta Fairs and Conventions Centre in Ta’ Qali from November 5 to 9.
With a theme of ‘Writing Anew’ to capture a spirit of change and transformation, the festival features a diverse programme that includes book signings and masterclasses, exhibitions, children’s theatre and also body art.
Guests include 2024 Booker Prize winner Samantha Harvey and US author and wife author-editor duo Jeff and Ann VanderMeer. The full programme is available at ktieb.org.mt/maltabookfestival.
2024 Booker Prize winner Samantha HarveyThe Upcycle Fashion Showcase
Students from Manzoni Fashion School will present unique upcycled designs, transforming everyday materials into stunning wearable art at Sala San Duminku, Valletta, on November 8 at 7.30pm.
DJ Robin C will be setting the vibe before, during and after the show, while finger food and drinks will be available.
Tickets from showshappening.com.
THEATRE
Dead & Breakfast
Mostly Harmless Productions is staging a laugh-out-loud dark comedy at Theatre Next Door in Magħtab from November 7 to 23.
The play drops four wildly different characters into one impossible situation: a retired footballer, a self-made millionaire, a Maltese line cook and a self-absorbed social media influencer who find themselves trapped together in a hotel storeroom as the world outside descends into chaos.
The production, suitable for an audience aged 18+, stars John
Montanaro, Andrea Pace, Jes Camilleri and Naomi Said. The play is written and directed by James Calvert.
Tickets from fmt.com.mt.
The cast of Dead & Breakfast: Jes Camilleri, Andrea Pace, John Montanaro and Naomi Said.Il Parnaso Confuso and La Corona
Two rarely staged one-act operas by Christoph Willibald Gluck, Il Parnaso Confuso and La Corona, will be staged as part of the Valletta Early Opera Festival at the Manoel Theatre, Valletta, on November 7 and 9.
Selected through the artistic direction of Kenneth Zammit Tabona, the two operas were composed in 1765 for the Habsburg court in the royal court of the palace of Schönbrunn in Vienna.
Il Parnaso Confuso features Gillian Zammit as Apollo, Cledia Micallef as Euterpe, Gabrielle Portelli as Erato and Caterina Iora as Melpomene. In La Corona, Francesca Aquilina takes the role of Atalanta, with Gillian Zammit as Meleagro, Caterina Iora as Climene and Bettina Zammit as Asteria.
Brett Nicholas Brown will be the stage director, with set design by Anthony Bonnici and costume design by Luke Azzopardi. Lighting design is by Moritz Zavan Stoeckle.
Tickets from teatrumanoel.mt. For more information about the Valletta Early Opera Festival, organised by Festivals Malta, visit www.festivals.mt/veof.
Mater Dei Hospital Talent Show
The public is invited to join the Mater Dei Hospital team for a fundraising evening of drama, laughter and memorable performances at the Sir Temi Zammit Hall, University of Malta, on November 8 at 7.30pm.
Act 1 will see singers, musicians, dancers and sketches, while Act 2 will be devoted to a Maltese comedy titled Bla Gwienaħ… Bla Raġġiera.
Tickets from ticketline.com.mt. Proceeds will go towards the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation.
Beauty & The Beast
Disney’s Beauty and The Beast is being produced live on stage at the Don Bosco Oratory Theatre in Victoria, from November 7 to 16.
The show, replete with music, songs and dance, will recount the story of the Beastly Prince who has to fall in love with Belle in order to undo the curse, restoring him and his servants to their human forms.
Neville Refalo will perform the main part of the Beast, while Krista Mercieca will play Belle. Other characters will be interpreted by Andrew Buhagiar, Karl J. Buhagiar, Ludwig Galea, Jeremy Paul Grech and Sharon Sciortino, together with a 100-strong cast of musicians, singers, choristers and dancers.
Tickets can be obtained from the Don Bosco Oratory every day between 5 and 6.30pm, or by calling on 21556616 or 99487751. Online booking is also available at theatre.donboscogozo.org or donboscogozo.org.
The main protagonists of the show.MUSIC
Mediterranean Letters
Classical music will merge with poetry in a celebration of the Mediterranean at the Green Room of Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Valletta, tomorrow, November 3 at 7.30pm.
Violinist Justyna Zanko and pianist Julia Miller will perform works by composers inspired by the Mediterranean, namely Rosario Scalero (Italy), Mikis Theodorakis (Greece), Pablo de Sarasate (Spain), Camille Saint-Saëns/Georges Bizet (France), Charles Camilleri (Malta) and Karol Szymanowski (Poland).
The music will be interwoven with poetry by Mediterranean voices such as Eugenio Montale, Antonio Machado, Paul Verlaine, John Portelli and Federico García Lorca, performed by Maltese actress Natalie Naudi.
Tickets from showshappening.com.
Classical Vocal Evening
Baritone Joseph Lia will join pianist Natalia Rakhmatulina in a concert at the La Vallette hall, Mediterranean Conference Centre, Valletta, on November 5 at 7pm.
The duo will perform pieces by Brahms, Bach, Schumann, Chopin, Mozart, Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Vella and Camilleri, among others.
Tickets from showshappening.com.
In Senses: Feeling Sound
Malta-based Dutch saxophonist Luc Houtkamp and Turkish clarinettist Oğuz Büyükberber, known for their work in both jazz and electronic music, will be joined by Italian keyboardist Giulio Stermieri and Maltese poet Antoine Cassar in an evening of improvisation, physical experience and poetry at the Malta Society of Arts, Valletta, on November 6 at 8pm.
The evening will open with poetry by Cassar, reflecting on hyperacusis and the paradoxes of sound perception. Büyükberber, who suffers from 95 per cent vision loss, will explore personal trauma and experience, while Stermieri, who boasts a background in both contemporary music and the avant-garde jazz tradition, will bring a richly layered sonic palette to the stage.
Tickets from showshappening.com.
Malta International Piano Festival
The Malta International Piano Festival is back for its fourth edition at the Citadel Cultural Centre in Victoria until November 9.
This year’s event is focusing on performances by internationally acclaimed pianists and a series of masterclasses. Evening concerts are scheduled daily at 7pm, while masterclasses − led by renowned pianist and pedagogue Maurizio Moretti − will take place during the day from November 4 to 7.
The recitals are open to the public. The programme is available here.
Kuraġġ 2025
This year’s editon of Kuraġġ, organised by, and in aid of, the Malta Community Chest Fund, is being held at the Salesian Theatre in Sliema from November 7 to 9.
The concert shares the real stories of patients who, despite facing adversity, have found joy, strength and hope along the way. Each song performed has also been personally selected by the patients.
The Big Band Brothers, led by Daniel Cauchi as music director, will perform, accompanied by singers Pawlu Portelli, Sarah Bonnici, Jolene Samhan, Brooke Borg, Matthew James Borg, Ryan Hili, Kris Spiteri and the Vocal Troupes. Artistic direction is by Yanis Azzopardi and the script is by Gabriel Lia.
Tickets from showshappening.com.
The Big Band Brothers. Photo: Facebookwhatson@timesofmalta.com