About Us

“The Manoel”, as it is affectionately referred to by the locals, is Malta’s National Theatre, the best equipped performing arts venue on the Island and a major contributor to the local performing arts scene. It is one of the finest examples of Baroque architecture and one of the oldest working theatres in Europe.

The Theatre has two performance areas:

The Main Theatre

This is a historic ornate baroque auditorium with a seating capacity of 547 spread across the orchestra stalls, parterre boxes, 51 individual boxes on three levels (Tiers) and the gallery. This is where the majority of productions are held. Entrance is on Old Theatre Street (Triq it-Teatru l-Antik).

The Studio Theatre

This is a smaller performance area (7m x 5m) with a maximum audience capacity of 60 on cushioned benches. This space is used predominantly by the Learning and Participation Programme and small productions. Entrance is from the theatre’s stage door at No. 81, Old Mint Street (Triq Zekka), Valletta (round the corner from the main Theatre entrance) which also houses the theatre’s costume house and rehearsal and dressing rooms. The Studio Theatre is on the top floor with an adjoining bar area and outdoor terrace.

Teatru Manoel’s Mission

The Theatre is a Public Cultural Organisation funded predominantly by the Government. As Malta’s national theatre, Teatru Manoel believes that everyone should have access to the arts, and therefore seeks to present as eclectic an annual programme of high-quality productions and events as possible covering the performing genres of music, drama and dance.

The Theatre also aims to be the major local platform for a wide pool of artists, both local and foreign to develop and freely express their creativity through dialogue with a diverse audience that enables mutual cultural enrichment.

The Theatre produces its own productions, collaborates with other Public Cultural Organisations and third-party producers and is a receiving house for independent productions.

The theatre’s raison d’être – to provide the general public with honest entertainment – is inscribed in Latin above the main entrance: ‘ad honestam populi oblectationem’.

It is said that part of the reason the Grand Master wanted to build a theatre was to keep the young knights of the Order out of mischief, as they would be busy performing in plays during their time off.

The first time the Maltese national anthem, L-Innu Malti, was heard in public, was when it was played at a concert at Teatru Manoel on 27th December 1922.

Fun Facts

The theatre took only 10 months to build and cost the Grand Master 2,184 scudi (€41,715).

It has been renamed three times: originally as ‘Teatro Pubblico’, it then became the ‘Teatro Reale’ in 1800 before being officially named ‘Teatru Manoel’ in 1866.

The first performance to officially open the theatre on 19th January 1732, was the classic Italian tragedy Merope by Scipione Maffei.

The theatre’s raison d’être – to provide the general public with honest entertainment – is inscribed in Latin above the main entrance: ‘ad honestam populi oblectationem’.

It is said that part of the reason the Grand Master wanted to build a theatre was to keep the young knights of the Order out of mischief, as they would be busy performing in plays during their time off.

The first time the Maltese national anthem, L-Innu Malti, was heard in public, was when it was played at a concert at Teatru Manoel on 27th December 1922.

History

1731

1731 - Grand Master Antonio Manoel de Vilhena, head of the Order of the Knights of St John, purchases two houses with the intent of building a new public theatre in Strada del Carmine (today Old Theatre Street) in Valletta 'for the honest recreation of the people'.

1732

1732 - The Teatro Publico opens with a performance of Merope, a tragedy by Scipione Maffei, on January 19, staged by the Italian knights. This is followed two days later by Il Giocatore Desperato presented by the French Knights.

1791

1791 - The Maltese-born French composer Niccolo Isouard, Maestro di Cappella of the Order, is appointed impresario of Teatro Pubblico. During the French Blockade of 1798 he continues organises activities at the Theatre in order to keep the morale of the besieged French troops alive. Isouard was forced to flee the Islands upon the British Occupation.

1800

1800 - With the coming of the British, the theatre is re-named Real Teatro di Malta and significant changes are made to the shape of the auditorium and the height of the theatre in order to increase the seating capacity, under the guidance of Royal Engineer George Whitmore.

1813-14

1813-14 - The Theatre is closed on orders from the Civil Commissioner, Sir Hildebrand Oakes, due an outbreak of the Bubonic plague.

1836

1836 - The holding of masked balls, or veglioni, in the Theatre, which were the climax of the theatre season dating back to the time of the Knights, are banned, and two years later they are prohibited altogether from taking place in any venue, on being denounced by Bishop Francesco Saverio Caruana.

1861

1861 - Giuseppe Malfiggiani becomes the first official orchestra conductor of the Theatre, later taking up the post of the first impresario of the newly-built Royal Opera House. The theatre is sold to private individuals and changes ownership several times during the next 90 years.

1866

1866 - The Theatre is named Teatru Manoel after it loses the title and status of Theatre Royal to its new and much larger rival, the Royal Opera House, built on the designs of the English architect Edward Middleton Barry at the entrance to Valletta

1907

1907 - The first British-styled pantomime is performed at Teatru Manoel and eventually becomes the Theatre's most popular annual theatrical event, as it still is to date.

1948

1948 - Half way though a performance of Rigoletto, Maltese tenor Oreste Kirkop is asked to step into the role of the Duke of Mantua since the main singer was taken ill. This is the start of Kirkop's meteoric rise to fame, going on to perform leading tenor roles at Covent Garden, La Scala and Las Vegas, as well as starring in Hollywood movies, always to rave reviews.

1960

1960 - The Theatre reopens after three years of restoration of the auditorium and the installation of modern equipment, with the ballet Coppelia, performed by the renowned Ballet Rambert from the United Kingdom

1968

1968 - The Manoel Theatre Orchestra is formed, becoming the National Orchestra of Malta in 1997 and the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra in 2008.

1977

1977 - The Manoel Theatre Academy of Dramatic Art (MTADA) is set up to serve as the first theatre arts school on the Islands and later becomes the Drama Centre. MTADA staged many, mainly Maltese, productions at Teatru Manoel

1984

1984 - The Manoel Theatre Opera Company is formed and lasts for only 3 years, with their first opera being Cavalleria Rusticana and their last Elisir d'Amore in 1987, with soprano Miriam Gauci in the leading role

2013

2013 - The first Valletta International Baroque Festival is held at Teatru Manoel and becomes an annual event on the Theatre's calendar including a month-long programme of concerts and opera performances. The festival is now held during the month of January in various locations including Teatru Manoel.

2015

2015 - Several works are started to convert the Monastery of Navarre which is next to the building to turn it into new rehearsal rooms, foyer, box office and bar. The works are still ongoing and include restoration of the facade of both the Theater and even the Monastery.

Restoration and Refurbishment

2017 – 2018

An acclimatization system is installed in the auditorium which is now warm in Winter and cool in Summer. The parterre boxes at the stalls level are restored, new seating is installed, and the seating layout is changed to that of the original building.

2019

Restoration works continue to return the façade to the original 1731 design.

2020

The Theatre closes in March 2020 due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. It opens briefly for weekly one-hour productions to socially distanced audiences between October 2020 and March 2021 when it had to close again.

2021

Whilst the Theatre is closed for the second time due to the Coronavirus Pandemic significant refurbishment works are undertaken in the adjacent building which houses the Box Office, bar, interval reception room and toilets. The chandelier and the sconces that line the tier boxes are replaced with ones made of blown white Murano glass designed in Rezzonico Style.

The Theatre re-opens at the end of October 2021.

The Theatre’s Legacy

In its (almost) three centuries of existence Teatru Manoel has hosted thousands of plays, operas, musicals, concerts, recitals and dance productions. Even more artists have come through its stage door and treaded its boards, some of whom went on to achieve great success locally and internationally and others who came here already famous.

Learning and Participation

Teatru Manoel has an extensive learning and participation programme that has had a significant impact on Malta’s cultural legacy, especially with young people. You can find out more about that here.

Toi Toi learning and Participation

La Valette possesses an opera, small indeed, but neat, though much out of repair. Italy and Sicily supply it with very tolerable vocal performers, and it is a very agreeable entertainment for the garrison. It was excessively crowded every night by the officers of the expedition, to whom it was a great source of amusement. The price of admission is one shilling.

Thomas Walsh

Journal of the Late Campaign – Egypt 1803

Our Organisation

Edward Zammit

Acting Chief Executive Officer

Pierre Vassallo

Chief Operations Officer

Adrian Mamo

Artistic Director

Rachel Vella

Assistant Director Marketing &
Audience Development

Ayrton Walls

Senior Manager HR & Administration

Vanessa Mangion

Senior Manager Operations

Michael Mangion

Senior Manager Events & Productions

Kate Fenech Field

TOI TOI Learning & Participation
Programme Manager

Rambert Attard

Manager Procurement

Melanie Grioli

Manager Design & Branding