Taming of a Valletta shrew

For anyone on the lookout for the eccentric or the flamboyant, the theatre scene is probably one of the best bets. But while kookiness is all fine in the creative world, it is out of place at the Valletta 2018 Foundation. What started out as a simple backstage dispute between V18 artistic director Mario Philip Azzopardi and the vice-director he himself hand-picked, Sean Buhagiar, escalated to the point where Mr Azzopardi's suitability to the post he holds at V18 is being seriously questioned. Mr Buhagiar's fallout with the artistic director and, eventually, with V18 is telling. Artists who spoke with this newspaper said there was a pattern of serious abusive behaviour by the veteran producer on various theatre and film productions. One artist recalled how, during a film project, Mr Azzopardi "was screaming at the top of his lungs… [and] was destructive to the whole team". On his part, Mr Azzopardi described the incidents mentioned by his critics as normal occurrences in professional theatre around the world. "All I've done wrong is to succeed in Maltese theatre," he said, as he colourfully expressed his disdain for a number of local artists. While temper flares and verbal...

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