PUBLIC THEATRES REGULATIONS

PUBLIC THEATRES

SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 10.02

PUBLIC THEATRES REGULATIONS

26th July, 1899

GOVERNMENT NOTICE 26 of 1899, as amended by Government

Notices: 243 of 1919, 87 of 1927 and 123 of 1944; GOVERNMENT

NOTICE 335 of 1955; and GOVERNMENT NOTICE 418 of 1957,

consolidated.

Preliminary

The title

of

these

Regulations

is

Public

Theatres

Regulations.

In these Regulations, “theatre” means any building

licensed by the Commissioner of Police for the giving of public

theatrical performances.

Licences

The licence under article 201 of the Code of Police Laws

shall not be granted unless the premises proposed to be used as a

theatre or place of public entertainment are reported by the Chief

Government Medical Officer to be satisfactory from a sanitary

point of view.

(1) It shall be the duty of the licensee to keep every part of

the premises used for any purpose as provided in regulation 2 in a

good and proper state as regards ventilation, cleanliness and other

conditions affecting heath.

(2) It shall be the duty of the licensee to furnish the auditorium

with electric fans or other similar devices to the satisfaction of the

Chief Government Medical Officer and to cause the same to be kept

working at all necessary times.

The Chief Government Medical Officer, the Senior Health

Officer, the medical officers of health and the sanitary inspectors

shall have the right of entry at all times to any part of any such

premises as aforesaid to ascertain whether the requirements of

regulations 3 and 4 are being complied with.

Observance of regulations

(1) Smoking is forbidden in any part of a theatre not set

apart for that purpose.

(2) It is forbidden to cause annoyance to others during the

performance by standing up, by unnecessary movement or noise, or

in any other manner.

(3) No bouquets or other articles are to be thrown which, owing

to their weight, size or form may injure, or annoy, any person, or

damage any property.

(4)

No one shall allow a dog into a theatre.

All persons in the auditorium of a theatre are to have the

head uncovered; but officers and men of the Armed Forces of Malta

and of the Police Force, when in uniform and on duty, are not

PUBLIC THEATRES

required to remove their head dress except when they are seated in

any part of the auditorium

Provided that the provisions of this regulation shall not

apply to persons who, in accordance with their national custom,

keep the head covered on all occasions.

The directions of the regular employees of a theatre with

regard to the occupation of seats, boxes, chairs or other

accommodation are to be complied with.

Any person infringing the provisions of regulations 6, 7 or

8 of these Regulations shall, on conviction, be liable to the

punishment established for contraventions, and may, after being

warned to desist, be expelled from the theatre.

It shall be lawful for any police officer, of a rank not below

that of sub-inspector, whenever he has reasonable grounds for

suspecting that any of these Regulations has been, or is being,

infringed by any of the occupants of a box, to order that the door of

such box be kept open during the performance, or any part thereof,

and any person disobeying such order shall be liable, on conviction,

to the punishment established for contraventions, and may, after

being warned to desist, be expelled from the theatre.

(1) In the pit of every theatre there shall be provided

gangways sufficient, in the opinion of the Commissioner of Police,

to ensure the movements of the public in case of emergency and

whenever the theatre is open to the public or is otherwise in use the

gangways shall be kept clear.

(2) Any person obstructing the gangways by standing up or by

the addition or occupation of seats therein or in any other manner

infringing the provisions of sub-regulation (1) of this regulation

shall be liable to expulsion from the theatre in addition to the

punishment laid down for contraventions.

Seating accommodation

Every seat in every theatre shall be marked with a number,

and seats shall be so arranged that the numbers marked on them

proceed in consecutive order beginning with number “1”; no

duplication of numbers shall be allowed.

Every ticket issued by or on behalf of the licensee of the

theatre in respect of any performance in the theatre shall have a

number corresponding to that of the seat to be occupied by the

holder of the ticket.

The licensee of every theatre shall put up by every booking

office a plan showing the seating accommodation available in the

theatre and the price payable in respect of each set of seats.

The number of persons admitted to any theatre shall in no

case exceed the number of persons indicated in the licence issued

by the Commissioner of Police.

Closing time

Theatres shall close not later than twelve midnight; public

dances may continue till 1a.m.

PUBLIC THEATRES

(1) On application made to him, the Commissioner of

Police may, in special cases, extend, at his discretion, the closing

time specified in regulation 16 of these Regulations.

(2) The application referred to in sub-regulation (1) of this

regulation shall be made at least four days before the day in respect

of which the extension of the closing time is applied for.