First-ever staging of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus in Malta, directed by late Polly March

The first-ever staging of Shakespeare’s Coriolanus in Malta, directed by the late Polly March, promises a visceral, raw, and thought-provoking portrayal of a society on the brink of collapse.

Roaring Voices Youth Company will stage a post-apocalyptic world where “Rome’s ancient struggles feel all too familiar” in what will also be one of the last acts of the recently departed Polly March.

Set in a post-apocalyptic world with no technology, the production portrays a society divided into two tribes: the powerful Greedy and the struggling Needy, echoing Shakespeare’s timeless themes of power and class conflict.

Rome lies in turmoil with its people starving and accusing the patricians of hoarding grain; the brave warrior Coriolanus saves the city and is promoted to the Senate, but his disdain for the common people leads to his downfall. Banished and enraged, he allies with his former enemy Aufidius to attack Rome, but his family’s pleas cause him to reconsider, resulting in his betrayal and death at Aufidius’s hand.

The riveting performance, blurring the lines between past, present, and future, will be staged at Teatru Salesjan, whose educational programme ‘Nurture Culture’ is supported by the ADRC Trust and Bank of Valletta Joseph Calleja Foundation.