Dubai: Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) today announced the preparations of the third edition of the Dubai Festival for School Theatre that will be held from May 8 to 12 at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Library Theatre, with the participation of 10 schools and educational institutions in Dubai, which will compete for a host of prizes.
Through the Festival, Dubai Culture seeks to support emerging talent and encourage them to produce various theatrical works. Fatma Al Jallaf, Acting Director of the Performing Arts Department at Dubai Culture, said: “The local theatre sector needs emerging talent to ensure its sustainability and continuity in producing artistic and theatrical projects that reflect the reality of our community and our heritage and highlight the richness of our cultural and artistic scene, which makes this festival a major artery capable of injecting new blood into the Emirati theatrical movement.”
The Festival targets students from Grade 4 to 12, and the conditions for participation in it include that the performances be group-based and presented in classical Arabic, their durations range between 15 and 45 minutes, and that their scripts take into account the customs and traditions of the local community.
Jury members
Dubai Culture also revealed the jury members who will evaluate all plays within the festival, namely: Emirati actor, author, and director Marei Al Halyan (head of the jury), artist and director Mohammed Saeed Al Salti (member), and artist Hassan Youssef Alblooshi (member).
Categories
The festival will offer participants several awards, including Best Integrated Theatrical Performance, Best Actor and Actress, Best Directing, Best Theatrical Script, and others.
Contestants
Throughout its days, the festival will witness 10 theatrical performances, opening with Al Rayah High School - Girls, followed by Al Qeyam Girls School for Cycle 2, as well as Umm Suqeim Girls School, while the second day will witness performances by the Zayed Educational Complex - Al Barsha South, the Mohammed bin Rashid School for Secondary Education – Boys.
The third day includes performances by Omar Bin AlKhattab School for Basic Education - Cycle Two and Al Lisaili Kindergarten and School - Cycles One, Two and Three for Girls, and Rashid Bin Saeed School - Cycle Three for Boys, while the fourth day will see performances by Al Alfiya Girls School for Basic Education - Cycle Two, and Mohammed Noor School for Basic Education for Boys.
The fifth day of the festival, May 12, will have the closing ceremony and the announcement of the winners.
