Will Valletta’s open-air theatre get a roof?

It was promised in the Labour Party manifesto and now Edward Scicluna has given it a timeline – a public consultation will open next year on the Pjazza Teatru Rjal.

Valletta’s open-air theatre was born in controversy after the last Nationalist Party administration embarked on plans to build a new parliament instead of reconstructing the bombed opera house.

Pjazza Teatru Rjal was an afterthought to the parliament building, a place for outdoor performances inside the ruins of the old opera house.

But now, the government will open a public consultation next year to determine whether works should be done on the place to adapt it to the cultural calendar.

“We are excluding nothing at this stage and we welcome any proposal to give value to this place with respect to our heritage, including roofing over the theatre,” Scicluna said in his budget speech.