Dubai: The love for stage musicals post-pandemic has strung together a vibrant community of its own in Dubai.
Called MTDXB (Musical Theatre Dubai), which is all set to stage The Addams Family, its fifth show since its inception, the highly talented group of people come from different backgrounds but share a common interest in musical theatre.
Brian Fletcher, one of the community members, said, it all started when a British expat couple, James and Bethanie Mitchinson, along with their mutual friend, Sarah Jordan, took the initiative and floated the idea of a new stage musical community in 2021. This followed a realisation during the pandemic that the musical theatre genre was grossly under-represented in the city.
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“They put up a post on Facebook and it generated a great response with around 20 people coming together at the time. Today, we have grown into an oversized family of around 50 people, with Ralph (son of the Mitchinsons), who is a few months old, being our youngest member,” said Fletcher.
"We are really proud of how MTDXB has connected so many people and created opportunities for them to perform musical theatre in the region, something sadly that is extremely rare. We have created a community in the truest sense of the word and have developed friendships that will last a lifetime," said James Mitchinson.
The group members said it is amazing how Dubai is home to so many like-minded people with a passion for musical theatre.
“Now we have a chance to come together, make new friends, socialise and have fun, on and off the stage,” said Fletcher, who along with his wife Clare came to Dubai in 2016.
Though a large number of the expats in the group come from the UK, some are from other countries too, including the US and India. Working in various professional fields, many of them in teaching, their interests extend to singing, performing, dancing or even lighting or sound technical skills
“We are a good bunch of people with similar values and interests and have built a strong network of support for ourselves through this community,” said Fletcher, adding that every now and then, one of the members also takes stage for a session called ‘Family Time’ to share their personal journey.
“The family is very committed and a testament to this is the time our members are willing to put in for the community,” he said.
The group has put together four shows already: A Night at the Musical, Everybody’s Talking about MTDXB, Return to the Musicals with MTDXB and a Christmas Concert.
The upcoming Addam’s Family will be held in partnership with KPS at the Sunmarke School Auditorium, Jumeirah Village Triangle on June 1, 2 - 7.30pm, June 3 - 2.30pm and 7.30pm (for the public) and on May 31 - 7.30pm (corporate performance). Fifty pairs of free tickets will be given out by KPS to those wishing to attend the premiere on May 31.
