Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, Dubai Culture, the Emirate’s dedicated entity for culture, arts and heritage, successfully concluded its specialised acting and directing workshops as part of the Dubai Festival for Youth Theatre 2017. The acting workshop ran from 10th to 16th September and the stage directing workshop followed from 17th to 23rd September, attracting a total of 76 participants.

During the workshops, participants were led by Dr. Nabila Hassan, Head of the Acting and Directing Department at the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts, who shed light on a variety of essential topics including the history of the theatre, the improvements to ‘Stanislavski's System’, and the Grotowski approach to acting. The workshops also covered creative restrictions for actors and directors, and explored the director's relationship with scripts and actors. In addition, participants benefited from personal element training for the mind, vocal system, respiratory system, body language, and team work for effective vocal and theatre movement.

By the end of the workshops, participants had developed critical skills including matching scripts to the timing and theatrical presentation of plays, creating a clear vision that connects theatrical text and visual staging, and identifying the strengths and weaknesses of performances. Script writing skills such as bringing creativity and innovation to basic texts, writing scripts that appeal to the public, developing innovative characters and highlighting key themes were also covered, as well as how to master both performance and technical implementation so that all elements of a play come together in perfect harmony.

Dubai Culture is celebrating ten successful years of the Dubai Festival for Youth Theatre, which has become a leading platform for nurturing the most promising theatre talent in the UAE and the Gulf region.

Dubai Culture aims to enhance Dubai’s cultural scene and draw attention to the Emirate’s rich heritage with a variety of initiatives that take place throughout the year. The authority’s mandate is to build bridges of constructive dialogue between different civilisations and cultures through enriching initiatives that benefit the Emirate’s citizens, residents and visitors.