Club fined for helping Egyptian troupe

The Iranian Club in Bur Dubai was recently fined Dh30,000 by the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing for letting an Egyptian troupe perform a play in its theatre over the Eid weekend.

There was not enough room in the nearby Egyptian Club's theatre for the performance Al Talaina Wasalo, so the Iranian club graciously allowed the troupe to use its facilities for a small fee, viewing the deed as an act of charity.

The comedy starring Egyptian actor Ahmad Bedeer was performed to a private crowd of about 100 people on Thursday night, but the second performance was cancelled by the Tourism Department in Dubai.

The troupe failed to ask for permission to perform from the Tourism Department, which is mandatory for any performance in the emirate, and the hosting Iranian Club was given the fine.

Nasir Taheri, head of the club's theatre department, said that the blame rests on the play's production company, Red Net Productions.

Permission

"If we had known that they hadn't gotten permission first, then we wouldn't have rented [our theatre] to them," said Taheri.

"Besides, the play wasn't even for us. It was for a private Egyptian audience."

Although the troupe did get the green light to perform throughout the UAE, Dubai has its own separate policy, said Dr Habib Al Attar, head of the Culture Centre (Ministry of Information and Culture) in Abu Dhabi.

Dubai enforces the strictest set of rules regarding public performances out of all the other emirates, said Dr Attar.

In Dubai, a troupe must gain approval from the Dubai Police, the Department of Information and Culture, and the Israel Boycott office, said Nabil Ali, who is in charge of giving out the Tourism Department's permits for performances.

Elsewhere, the consent from the Ministry of Information and Culture is enough.

The troupe was scheduled to perform two shows at the Ras Al Khaimah National Theatre.

"These fines will stop companies from doing whatever they want," said Dr Attar.