The Manoel Theatre Academy of dramatic art and its first three years of operation under Adrian Rendle

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to analyse the first three years of the Manoel Theatre Academy of Dramatic Art (MTADA), which saw the attempt of the assigned principal Adrian Rendle to implement professional standards in actor training in Malta. The dissertation will be contextualised with the amateur state of theatre in Malta, and the tendency for local theatre companies and festivals to invite British professionals to share their expertise. The Manoel Theatre Management Committee and the British Council felt the need to refer to a British theatre practitioner, who had experience with drama school in Britain. Rendle was the ideal candidate as he had worked with amateur and professional theatre companies, whilst also tutoring and directing at British drama schools. His methodology at MTADA was focused on having a balance between technique and attitudinal training, and also believed that there was more to actor training then putting up an elaborate showcase performance at the end of the year. He also dedicated much of his time in Malta to coaching and mentoring various Maltese teachers at the academy, inviting multiple British professionals to also guide the local tutors and demonstrate their professional practices. Informed by Rendle's „Blueprint‟ document in the Manoel Theatre Archives, and his two published books, Everyman and His Theatre: A study of the purpose and function of the amateur society today and So you want to be an actor?, the dissertation brings together his vision for the academy which saw beyond the three years which he spent in Malta. His work at MTADA revolutionised theatre training in Malta, and generated an entire crop of young theatre-makers, who intended to pass on the knowledge and experience gained during their time at the academy.