Malta Gets Schooled: ‘School of Rock’ Musical Rocks MCC This October with Home-Grown Talent

**Rock Classrooms to Rock Stages: Malta’s Own School of Rock Storms MCC This October**

Valletta’s Mediterranean Conference Centre is about to get a whole lot louder. This October, the aisles that once echoed with ecclesiastical chants will reverberate with power chords when Malta’s first licensed production of *School of Rock – The Musical* premieres, bringing Andrew Lloyd Webber’s smash-hit to the capital in a distinctly Maltese key.

Produced by local theatre company Masquerade, the show marks a milestone for the island’s performing-arts scene: it’s the first time a Maltese ensemble has secured the rights to the 2015 West End/Broadway blockbuster. Rehearsals are already under way in a converted Birkirkara primary-school classroom where 35 pint-sized Maltese rockers—aged 8 to 13—are trading lunchboxes for Les Pauls under the tutelage of musical director Ryan Paul Abela.

“We’re literally re-creating the plot,” laughs director and founder of Masquerade, Philip Leone-Ganado, referencing the story of down-and-out guitarist Dewey Finn who turns a prestigious prep school into a breeding ground for a Battle-of-the-Bands-winning rock group. “Except our Dewey is a Maltese ex-student who never thought he’d step back into a classroom—until he realised these kids could shred better than most adults.”

That “Maltese Dewey” is 28-year-old Steve Micallef, formerly of local punk trio The Riff, who hung up his gigging boots to teach music at St Michael’s Foundation in Santa Venera. Casting directors spotted Micallef fronting a charity gig in Gżira last Christmas and offered him the role on the spot. “I thought it was a prank,” he admits, tuning a miniature Flying V that will be played onstage by nine-year-old Kayden Muscat from Żurrieq. “Now I’m basically living the dream I didn’t know I had—turning homework into set lists.”

The production arrives at a pivotal moment for arts education in Malta. Earlier this year, the Ministry of Education’s “Music Plus” initiative funnelled €1.2 million into after-school arts programmes, citing research that students engaged in performing arts score 17 % higher in core subjects. *School of Rock*’s October run—20 shows across five weekends—has already sold out its first week, prompting organisers to release 2,000 extra matinée tickets for school groups from Gozo to Marsaxlokk.

Tourism stakeholders are tuning in, too. The MCC sits a two-minute walk from the newly pedestrianised entrance to Valletta, meaning cruise-liner passengers disembarking at the Grand Harbour will be met with posters screaming “MALTA ROCKS” in bold primary colours. “We’re packaging the show with harbour-side dining vouchers and late-night museum openings,” reveals MTA spokesperson Daniela Chetcuti. “The idea is to flip the perception that Malta’s cultural calendar ends when summer festivals pack up.”

Backstage, the social ripple effects are already visible. Parents who once ferried kids from football practice to catechism now juggle drum lessons and vocal coaching. Sliema mother-of-two Rebecca Azzopardi says her 11-year-old daughter has swapped TikTok dances for “Seven Nation Army” riffs. “She used to beg for an iPhone 15; now she’s saving for a pedal board. I’ve seen her confidence sky-rocket—she even asked to speak about women in rock for her school’s Show & Tell.”

Crucially, the show is unearthing raw Maltese talent. Among the ensemble is 12-year-old Miguel Camilleri from Rabat whose YouTube drum covers caught Leone-Ganado’s eye. “In three months he’s gone from 200 to 12,000 followers,” the director notes. “We’re essentially crowd-funding a future Maltese music industry.”

Critics might scoff that a West End import is hardly a testament to local creativity, but the creative team insists otherwise. Lyrics referencing “ħobż biż-żejt” and a re-imagined setting of the Battle of the Bands at the Valletta Waterfront root the narrative firmly in Maltese soil. “We’re not importing London; we’re exporting Malta through a globally loved story,” argues choreographer Joanne Grima, who has fused traditional Maltese *żifna* steps into the finale dance break.

As October approaches, Valletta’s limestone walls seem to pulse in anticipation. Rehearsal recordings leak onto TikTok under the hashtag #MaltaSchoolOfRock, racking up thousands of views. Bookshops report a run on beginner guitar manuals, while music stores struggle to keep ukuleles in stock. For a brief, glorious month, the island’s soundtrack will shift from summer’s techno beats to the rebellious stomp of children discovering that the shortest route to self-esteem is a well-executed power chord.

When the curtain falls on the final night, the real encore may echo in classrooms long after: a generation of Maltese kids who learned that homework and headbanging aren’t mutually exclusive—and a country reminded that its stage is big enough for every voice, even those that still crack between verses.