Those people who were here in the summer of 2018 may remember when Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre at Mall of The Emirates closed down. It was a disappointment because it was one of the few spots in Dubai where residents could enjoy small productions and amateur shows. Now, the theatre is back, but only temporarily.
Rebranded as The Theatre, the venue at Mall of the Emirates, still one of the few community theatres in Dubai – especially after the stage at Madinat Jumeirah closed down last year – is on a trial run until the end of June and its future hinges on the support of the community.
The space officially opened last month to a sold-out performance by comedy duo Jordindian, also known as Naser Al Azzeh and Vineeth "Beep" Kumar, and it is back in full swing with a line-up of plays, performances and film screenings.
So what did it take to bring the theatre back to life? Rania Ashur is the force behind The Theatre's reopening.
Although Ashur has a background in finance, she has been bringing shows to Ductac, Madinat Jumeirah and Dubai Opera for the past 20 years with her company Art For All.
She says that while the emirate's position as a cultural hub has grown in the past decade through shows, fairs and new cultural institutions, there is still a need for a space for smaller productions.
That's where The Theatre comes into play. "We need a space that delivers small to medium-sized productions for the community," she says.
The space was "a mess" when she took over, she says. "The seats had been sold, the stage curtains were missing. Lighting was missing. Pest control work was needed," she tells The National.
"We contacted a technician and did a rundown of everything that was necessary to get the space in working shape again. Once the technical aspect was done, we put all the health and safety measures in place, took care of pest control and applied a fresh coat of paint. We redesigned the entrance and put some trees to make it more aesthetically pleasing. But then, we had to figure out what shows to put on."
For Ashur, this was a matter of quality over quantity, to make sure the venue pulled in the crowds during a critical relaunch phase. Today, The Theatre presents The Fig Tree, a play that tells the story of Palestinian playwright Raeda Taha's journey to Palestine. In it, she narrates the story of losing her land, her childhood home and her father, Ali. A second performance will be held tomorrow.
The Theatre will bring the family-friendly show Mr Men and Little Miss On Stage to Dubai with three performances on Friday, February 28. Divas by Lebanese singer Jahida Wehbe, a show in which she performs hits from some of the world's most powerful female vocalists, including Umm Kulthum and Edith Piaf, will be held on Saturday, February 29.
"We also have some more performances in the pipeline, one by a renowned Lebanese singer and another by a Russian ballet dancer," Ashur says.
The Theatre will be a space where films will be screened, with workshops and classes held there, too. Ashur says a film club is in the works as well.
"I feel that we miss Diff [Dubai International Film Festival] tremendously," she says. "Some of the movies and documentaries that used to be shown at the festival no longer have a space to be screened. They aren't blockbusters and serve a niche audience, so it's not like they're going to be shown at the cinema."
For Sama, which was nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar this year, is scheduled to kick-off The Theatre's film club. But how well will The Theatre do? And will it pull in the crowds?
"I have no idea what to expect in the coming months," Ashur says. "The only thing we can work on is delivering quality performances. Whether The Theatre remains open after June is up to the audience. We need to show that having a local community theatre is a necessity."
Time will tell if she is successful. Until then, enjoy the shows.
More information on coming shows is available at www.artforall.ae
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Vinicius Junior (71') Mariano (90 2')
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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Yorkshire Vikings 144-1 in 12.5 overs
(Tom Kohler 72 not out, Harry Broook 42 not out)
bt Hobart Hurricanes 140-7 in 20 overs
(Caleb Jewell 38, Sean Willis 35, Karl Carver 2-29, Josh Shaw 2-39)
Results
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6.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m, Winner: Mayehaab, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Monoski, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Eastern World, Royston Ffrench, Charlie Appleby
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Madkal, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
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Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
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$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal
Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.
School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.
“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.
“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”
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Sri Lanka v England
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England won by 211
Second Test, at Kandy
England won by 57 runs
Third Test, at Colombo
From Nov 23-27
