The first theatre play for dogs took place in Malta

It blended miming and musical genres, and featured sounds that dogs love

One month ago, Teatru Malta, the Mediterranean country’s national theatre, presented its first production aimed at a dog audience. The show called “Fi Do” was written and performed in a way that would be as appealing to canines as it would be to humans – maybe the first such play in history.

Teatru Malta’s logo represents a stylized head of Kelb tal-Fenek, the island’s national dog, so it only seems fitting that they would pay honour to man’s best friend. The theatre has thus charted new territory in the cultural sphere, an example that we hope will spread to other countries, too.

Cultural innovation

As for the story of the play, well, this is what Paige Allerton, one of the play’s co-directors, had to say:

Fi Do is a love story between humans and dogs, humans and humans, dogs and dogs, and all sorts of relationships brought about by dogs.”

Mrs Allerton is part of Manifesto Poetico, a theatre production company based in Madrid (Spain). The music for the play was composed by Karl Fiorini, who had to research sounds that are perceived as pleasant by dogs.

The show took place not in the confines of a theatre hall but in a setting that would be much more to the liking of the canines as well – the Malta National Park in Ta’ Qali. People had to bring their own chairs and cushions in order to enjoy the outdoor ambiance. The dogs were only required to wear a leash, and there was a dog trainer present, plus paramedics.

The dog tickets were priced at only 1 euro each, though their human companions had to pay 10 bucks to attend the 30-minute show.