Local theatre group takes on The Rivals

Abu Dhabi: The evening rehearsals are filled with laughter and suggestions as members of the Resuscitation Theatre sharpen their dialogue delivery and timing.

The group is working on an adaptation of The Rivals by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, the 18th century Irish playwright and politician, which will be performed at the Abu Dhabi Corniche from March 28-30 as part of the Abu Dhabi Festival. Organised by the Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (Admaf), the yearly event will conclude on April 6.

"The Rivals is a comedy of manners that deals with mistaken identities and the caretakers of the two main characters forming a marriage arrangement because they want the best for them. Because of that, I thought it would be perfect to adapt for Abu Dhabi, as it has some similarities to Emirati and Arab cultures," Maggie Hannan, the founder of Resuscitation Theatre, said.

"In fact, during rehearsals, the Emirati actors were always in stitches because it was very similar to what happens in their community," she added.

As with every play she has ‘resuscitated', Maggie adapted the material to suit the audience and location. In addition to shortening the play's original run time from three to one and a half hours, she also incorporated local and regional elements.

"It's a long, painstaking process. I usually take five hours a day for two to three weeks to create the initial draft and then continuously work on it, even after I send the first draft out. I also encourage actors to sometimes ad lib and if it works, it gets incorporated into the script," Hannan said.

"My Emirati co-director, Faisal Al Zaaberi, who has been with me since the start of this project, has been fantastic…we began working on it in May, after receiving approval from Admaf to be a part of the festival. The real work, though, began in December, which meant a lot of running around for me. But I managed to take a small break for Christmas," she added.

To highlight the cultural touches, a UAE majlis style tent will be used in lieu of a stage.

"In addition to our Emirati and Arabic actors, there will also be British and Australian expatriates…because everyone works, we've had to slightly fit the rehearsals around their schedules," she added.

Hannan also led several workshops for schoolchildren across the emirate as part of the Festival's education programme.

"The children were fantastic…when I did the workshop for the boys, they were very enthusiastic, but the girls were very creative when we did the exercises I planned for each group. There were not a lot of ‘lost in translation' moments either," she said.

Next production

While the 58-year-old British expatriate is currently focused on ensuring that everything goes smoothly during The Rivals' three-day run, she revealed that she is already forming an idea for the Resuscitation Theatre's next production.

"After the festival, would like to do Shakespeare again, but not one of his works that are over-exposed, like Romeo and Juliet. I'd love to find something that isn't as well known and adapted for resuscitation theatre," Maggie said.

Maggie also noted that while the local theatre community in the capital is still in its fledgling stages, she has plans to help it grow.