According to the theatrical standards approved for this year, the committee entrusted to review the scripts for the Dubai Festival for Youth Theatre (DFYT) 2022 selected six theatrical scripts to participate in this festival organised by Dubai Culture and Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) from 19 – 26 October at the stage inThe Cultural & Scientific Association in AlMamzar.

Fatma Al Jallaf, Acting Director of the Performing Arts Department at Dubai Culture, said: “DFYT is a gateway for young theatrical talents in the UAE, whether citizens or residents.Each edition, we strive to improve the content and quality of the plays, discovering promising talents, developing their skills and enhancing their talents.”

SixScripts

The committee entrusted to review the scripts headed by Professor Marei Al-Halyan, Dr Basma Younis and Dr Haitham Al-Khawaja, received 11 theatrical scripts between 31 March and 31 May from various national theatres across the UAE that were sorted according to the specified criteria. Six scripts were selected to participate in the festival.

Incubator for theatrical talents

Marei Al-Halyanexpressed his pride in leading the committee, emphasising the importance of the festival in highlighting young talents through its successive editions. He also affirmed that this year’s edition presents a modern approach through purposeful Emirati comedy towards empowering the UAE society.

Mirror of reality

Regarding the script selection, Al-Halyan said: “The selection of the scripts that were submitted by theatrical groups and their writers was based on a contemporary approach to highlight youth comedy theatre. We also took into account the artistic and aesthetic benefits required by the basics of theatre writing — an elaborate plot, the logical generation of events, the clarity of intellectual and artistic discourses, and how a subject is tackled for the young generation.”

He added:“This year’s edition of the festival will witness interesting theatrical performances that will address audiences’ life concerns. Theatre reflects reality and reveals it to the public.”

Echo

Dr Basma Younes stressed the festival’s important role in supporting creative talents and guiding them on a journey to develop their skills in the best possible way, saying: “This year’s submissions clearly reflect the situation the world is currently living in light of the technological development and the chaos of social media. The plays will address these issues to our society in a youthful manner by playfully criticising the situation. They will also draw attention to societal issues and what technology wants to tamper with in a comedic style that carries a purposeful content that will resonate with the audience.”

Experimental Theatre and Fantasy

Dr Haitham Al-Khawajapraised the theatrical scripts submitted by the participating theatre groups, saying: “I admire the submitted scripts, taking into consideration their quality, ideas, diversity, unique visions and technicalities. However, this does not prevent us from saying that most of the theatrical scripts presented for participation in the festival tend, persistently, towards experimentation.It also draws from real experiences, so they are contemporary and heartfelt, resonating with what the audience wants to see on stage.”

The texts selected by the committee included‘Story’ (Qessa)written by Meera Al Mheiri (Dubai Al Ahli Theatre);‘When the Curtain is Raised(HeynamaYourfaaAl Setar)by Abdullah Al Mheiri (Dubai National Theatre);‘The Last News’ (AkherKhabar) written by Ahmed Al Majed (Zayed Theatre for Talents and Youth);‘Dobie’written by Muhammad Salih al-Sidi (Yas Theatre);‘To Whom It May Concern’ (LmanYahomohAl Amr)written by Muhammad Salih al-Sidi (Kalba Theatre); and‘The Frame, (Berwaaz) written by Saud Al Zarouni (The Modern Theatre).