NAPA’S SUMMER PROGRAMME BRINGS TOGETHER THEATRE, DANCE AND MUSIC IN A THREE-MONTH CELEBRATION OF MALTESE PERFORMANCE, MIXING LOCAL TALENT, NEW PRODUCTIONS AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION
Malta’s National Performing Arts Companies – Teatru Malta, ŻfinMalta and KorMalta – are presenting an exciting three-month programme of performances designed to appeal to a wide range of artistic tastes. Running from June to August 2026, NAPA’s summer programme brings together theatre, dance and music, celebrating Maltese talent while welcoming international collaboration. The programme includes a tribute to Maltese classical music, bold contemporary dance productions and thought-provoking theatre. Together, these performances offer audiences a varied cultural experience throughout the summer months.
NAPA’s step into summer
As the season changes, NAPA continues to showcase the strength and growth of Malta’s performing arts sector. Through movement, music, voice and storytelling, the programme highlights the creative work of local artists across disciplines. ŻfinMalta presents visually striking dance performances, KorMalta brings together powerful choral voices and inventive concert formats, while Teatru Malta continues to explore meaningful stories through strong writing and performance.
Starting summer with ŻfinMalta
ŻfinMalta enchants audiences once again with a range of performances, including collaborations with international artists.
Labyrinth (June 19):
Performed during the Malta International Arts Festival, this performance connects contemporary dance with the visual backdrop of a sand sculpture. The collaboration between Spanish artist Oscar Rodríguez and ŻfinMalta artistic director Matthew William Robinson evokes a transitory landscape of myth and movement, inspired by the mythical maze designed by Daedalus to imprison the Minotaur.
NÁCAR (July 25):
Paloma Muñoz’s powerful NÁCAR returns to the stage in Malta for Dance Festival Malta. The work explores a desire to inhabit ghosts: those that survive in images, persist in our bodies and call out from the invisible. NÁCAR invites audiences to lend their bodies to the memory of others, becoming vessels of presence, beauty and shared echoes.
Mortal Heroes on tour at Dance Days Chania, Crete (July 22):
Choreographer Sita Ostheimer invites audiences into a visceral exploration of human potential — an odyssey through chaos and love, shadow and light, fragility and force.
Her choreography becomes a poetic search for the “other,” a love letter to resilience and to the human capacity for survival, renewal and transformation.
KorMalta concluding the first season
KorMalta’s programme brings together classical choral music and fresh ideas.
Baroque Splendour (June 5): Performed with one voice to a part, the singers take on both solo and choral roles, revealing the clarity, intimacy and expressive depth of this repertoire.
LUX (June 19):
Featuring music by Pärt, Whitacre, Lauridsen and Ēšenvalds, the concert offers a quiet meditation on hope and illumination in times of darkness.
KorMalta on the Road (July 4 and 5): This programme brings KorMalta Chamber beyond the concert hall, sharing highlights from the season in a more immediate and informal setting. The ensemble presents a selection of favourite works from across the year, inviting audiences to encounter KorMalta’s music wherever the road leads.
Made in Malta (July 2):
This programme celebrates Maltese choral music across generations, from historic voices to composers writing today.
Continuing the summer with Teatru Malta
Teatru Malta continues to support Maltese theatre and international exchange.
Boċċi (June):
Boċċi The Musical travelled from one boċċi club to another, turning every pitch into a stage. Audiences watched from the sidelines, just a boċċa’s throw away. Those who stayed away for fear of being hit instead of the mark can rest assured: the team has become expert at the game and is returning for another round of performances.
Drago (August):
In a commanding solo performance, Peter Galea embodies the fire and volatility of the player who placed Malta firmly on the global snooker map throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The production is rooted in extensive research and candid, in-depth conversations with Drago himself, woven together with personal accounts from those closest to him. The result is an intimate and emotionally charged portrait that gives voice to the man behind the legend. Now, Drago is set to travel beyond Malta’s shores once again, this time to the world’s largest theatre festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Looking toward the future
NAPA’s summer programme reflects a clear commitment to supporting Maltese artists while building strong links with the public. Across all three companies, there is a shared focus on original work, collaboration and making the performing arts accessible to different audience segments. Together, these efforts help grow the performing arts sector, support artists at different stages of their careers and offer audiences meaningful cultural experiences. Through this programme, NAPA looks beyond a single season, contributing to a strong and sustainable future for the performing arts in Malta.
