Dubai Culture’s acting workshops conclude with empowering insights into performing arts

The specialised acting workshops organised by the Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated Authority for culture, arts, and heritage, concluded with empowering insights into the theatric scene of Dubai. Over 40 amateur and advanced actors participated in workshops spanning over 60 hours.

Designed to provide emerging actors with the basic skills of acting in theatre, while sharpening the skills of established actors, the theatre acting workshops comprised an array of acting drills led by professionals from the industry.

The acting workshops concluded with a ceremony encompassing workshop participants enacting scenes from five renowned plays including 5 Scenes, The Last Poem, Al Sardal and Tawaya by Abdullah Saleh, The General by the late Salem Al Hattawi and Dr. Habib Ghuloom Attar.

Scenes from Abdullah Saleh’s classical Arabic plays include 5 Scenes, which depicts an internal struggle of a man with himself to become a clown; while Tawaya illustrates the struggle of people in the Gulf during the Portuguese colonisation of the region; and Al Sardal describes the difficulty the people in the region faced during the days of the British Rule, while The General by the late Salem Al Hattawi and Dr. Habib Ghuloom Attar portrays a sadistic general.

Yasser Al Gergawi, Manager of Performing Arts, Dubai Culture & Arts Authority, said: “Preparation, perseverance, and communication are key drivers that must be present when acting in theatre. When actors hone these basic skills in acting, their talent is visible in their performance.”

“These workshops were organised to inculcate some of the most important aspects of acting into enthusiastic thespians. We hope that the participants will implement the skills they have gained over the course of the workshop to embark on potentially new and rewarding careers,” he added.

Dubai Culture honoured the actors who participated in the workshops which covered the different aspects of theatre acting, from vocal exercises to dialects, accents, body language, and elaborate performances.