#BabyDaddy
I won't try to kid anyone - I had no idea what I was doing. I had never interviewed anyone before, but this rather entertaining group of girls quickly made me feel at ease, and we were chatting away about what promises to be a truly entertaining show, in no time.
Written by Simone Spiteri (our very own theatre studies teacher!), #babydaddy is a play centered on Matt (played by James Azzopardi Meli), a 17-year old student, who finds out that his ex-girlfriend is pregnant with his baby. Comprising of 9 scenes, one for each month of Amy (Rebecca Attard - the ex)'s pregnancy, the audience is presented, rather interestingly, with a male's perspective of teen pregnancy. Identity crisis is another main theme in #babydaddy, which although presented in a rather comical and witty method, is a theme which most teenagers can truly relate to. This makes the performance all the more appealing since it is put up by a group of young people, dealing with some issues, considered as taboo to many individuals in society.
Ella Coppini, Nikki Demajo, Victoria Gatt, Anna Calleja, Rebecca Attard, and Katya Azzopardi are 6 Aloyians who form part of Studio 18 - the drama group putting up this performance, under the direction of Jean-Marc Cafa. From what I was able to gather amidst all the inside jokes and giggling, they are a very "tight-knit family who always manage to make each other smile". (D'awhh - their words, not mine).
Victoria describes their rehearsal time as a "stressful party": a phrase I'm sure many people involved in theatre will agree with. As I wanted to get to know more about their 'process', and the way the guys at Studio 18 put up a show, I asked them about their favourite moment during rehearsals. This led to a short pause, followed by an insane amount of laughing as they struggled to come up with just one moment. Nikki mentioned an instance in which the director asked them to make a sandwich and eat it in character, following her memorable moment with a "You just had to be there!"
Free sandwiches? Don't mind if I do.
#babydaddy will be held at Saint James Cavalier on the 18th, 22nd and 23rd November, at 6.30pm. Book your tickets on ziguzajg.org, and visit their Facebook pages: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Studio-18/207852116005697?fref=ts
https://www.facebook.com/events/1473580599597530/?fref=ts
Nicola Mangion
