A group of Maltese teenagers will tread the boards in Aberdeen later today.
FM Youth Theatre will perform the Little Prince at Robert Gordon’s College as part of the Aberdeen International Youth Festival (AIYF).
It is the first time the school has been used as a venue in the 44-year history of the AIYF.
Last night, the group staged a dress rehearsal before this afternoon’s performance.
Edward Mercieca, the play’s producer, said the cast, made up of 17 and 18-year-olds, do not have any inhibitions about performing in front of a foreign audience.
He said: “We are absolutely delighted that we are getting to take part in the event.
“It’s a challenge in that we are facing different cultures but we are English speaking by nature and we do this quite often in Malta.
“The kids are quite adventurous these days and they don’t feel inhibitions, they are excited about it.”
Mr Mercieca says the youngsters have been bowled over by their experience of the Granite City so far.
“We have fell in love with Aberdeen, it’s a very friendly and beautiful city,” he added.
“We had a very interesting workshop with a group of Italians who were here to perform Shakespeare.
“Since we have been at the halls of residence we have a lot of interaction with the other students – they have been performing for each other, it’s a very social atmosphere.
“I think it’s one of the main benefits of the festival especially for our youngsters who come from a little island like ours, they don’t get much interaction with kids from other countries so it’s absolutely amazing.”
The play is aimed at children aged eight and above.
The performance takes place at 4pm today while the group return home on Saturday.
Aberdeen International Youth Festival runs till August 6.
For more information on this year’s programme of events visit www.aiyf.org.
