this week


What a week!

It’s time for what is fast becoming an annual treat: Teatru Unplugged IV. Jonathan Shaw is the brain behind this innovative musical event.

Interview by Zillah Bugeja

The critics said the younger crowd wouldn’t come to ‘boring’ Valletta, or to the Manoel Theatre. From experience I’ve learned that the opposite would happen – when there’s opposition to an idea it means it’s unique. Teatru Unplugged has now been going strong since 1998.
I get infatuated with new projects and things. As Junky Pescio, Gianni and I used to organise parties, till everyone else did the same and I felt the urge to move on. When I stopped organising parties I got bored, and needed a push into doing something new.
Even though I‘m not musical I have always been involved in the music scene, and I have a love of theatre too. I thought, why don’t I create a different kind of event at the Manoel Theatre? Being a close friend of Colin and Gianni, we got Gillian Zammit in on the classical music side, and from the start we had those two extremes. We kept things simple and fast moving, creating a flow from one thing to another.
From the start Teatru Unplugged was produced by Nirvana, who had the job of speaking to the Manoel Theatre committee to convince them of the idea. After all, the idea of soft rock in the Manoel was innovative, so it took her about a year to convince them of the idea’s worthiness.
The concept has basically remained the same. This year we have a number of slots, kicking off with Etnika who will play ethnic Maltese instruments. Rosetta Debattista is the pianist who will be accompanying soprano Gillian Zammit. This year Gillian will be less strictly classical and do more pieces from musicals, for example from Evita and Joseph. Led by Renzo spiteri, Luage is a four-piece acoustic band who will perform both cover versions and their own original pieces.
During the second half, Colin, Gianni and quite a few Friends will be performing hits from Mamas and The Papas, Elton John, The Beatles, Robbie Wiliiams, Dido, Frank Sinatra and much more.
I love it when I hear people return to the show every year. Imagine Teatru Unplugged X one day! The show takes about Lm6,000 to put on (people tend to underestimate this) because everyone gets paid, and there are about 30 performers. Then there’s the sound, marketing and promotion, and the rental of the theatre. If we didn’t get sponsors it wouldn’t happen. The sponsors minimise the risk, so that the worst that can happen is that I break even. I believe that people do support those companies who act as sponsors, like Cisk Export, BSL Group office and home furniture and Vodafone.
This year we’re not having any comperes – instead we are encouraging the artists themselves to interact with the audience, as well as something new in between slots... Antonio Tuffigno and Chris Grima are putting on five-minute sketches during which they’ll cover the whole history of the Maltese people in rhyming couplets, from prehistory to the future, which is bound to be a great laugh.
My bread-and-butter is earned as a freelance management consultant. People associate consultants with older guys – I’m going to be 29 soon – who’ve stopped working and who give the impression that they know it all. What I do is work closely with three or four clients and support them in creating change in structures, procedures and people. I actually move into the company, while mentally I’m with them 24 hours a day. I end up treating it as though it’s my own business. You have to come up with really practical solutions that add value.
I also help create structure in meetings, like a baby chairman. The trick is to go down or up to everyone’s level, and to be a good listener.
Knowing that it’s a finite project, I feel comfortable. Although I do have clients I’ve been with for a long time, like GAB Ltd who have O’Neill and Reebok, and Tower supermarket, who have also become friends.
Apart from work and organising Teatru Unplugged, I am busy writing my thesis for my MBA, on increasing marketing leverage through the mobile phone’. I do like to keep busy, in fact I had clients before actually obtaining my degree. I initially wanted to be a pilot, I never really wanted to study. My first job was as assistant production manager at 7Up, which got me into management – that was great training. After nine months I decided to read for a degree and realised I still needed money because I was used to earning a wage. That’s when I started doing promotions. I believe you have to combine the theoretical side with practice. That’s the problem with the graduate system – students are encouraged not to work because they are already earning money through the stipend. I know that part-time work experience exposes you to people, gets you on the market. There are those who are brilliant academically but can’t hold a conversation! I never got ‘A’s, because working as well as studying was tough, and I used to play waterpolo at the time too.
I’ve now learned to slow down. The trend is not to find a job but choose clients. Another trick: keep overheads low. With a laptop and a cell phone you don’t need an office at all. I work about 20 hours a week, which is actual contact time with clients. People tend to drown in meetings, but I have a strategy that helps cut down meeting time in half. The first step is to email what you want to discuss, and usually after that you can cut down on 30% of time spent in meetings, and you can meet if needs be.
What motivates me is seeing a thought materialise into something, you’ve created something out of nothing – it could be a flyer, an advert, a TV programme, or a meal for friends.
When I started doing promotions I was in the limelight more. I was the one controlling the door, doing the deals, and was perceived as the money type of person. I made mistakes, but I’m glad I did them. Realising them is what counts. I bought a flashy car at one point, but then at least I could do it before I was 40. Nowadays I’d rather keep a low profile. I think that men take till about age 35 to settle down, even personality-wise.
I’m not bothered with what people think of me. I am comfortable with my friends and family and that’s it.