Dubai Culture Hosts Two August Workshops as Part of the Dubai Festival for Youth Theatre 2017

Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture), the Emirate’s dedicated entity for culture, arts and heritage, has announced the August workshops for the Dubai Festival for Youth Theatre 2017, which will see participants learning about theatrical make-up and theatre production from specialised experts.

The theatrical make-up workshops will run from 1st to 10th August and be hosted by Dr. Faisal Mahmoud, who will expertly guide participants through the use and benefit of visual effects; how to achieve realistic results with prosthetic limbs, wigs and other false additions; and the different types of characters that be can be captured with straight make-up.

During the workshops, participants will also learn how to create face masks with a variety of different tools to express theatrical personalities, and on the final day the instructor will demonstrate how to apply make-up on live actors. The workshops aim to develop the participants’ abilities to express the content of plays and capture the personalities of theatrical characters – an essential part of any dramatic production.

The theatre production workshops will run from 19th to 24th August and be hosted by Dr. Hisham Jamal, who will teach participants about every aspect of this art, from preparation and filming right through to post-production. The workshop will provide participants with an opportunity to learn about various types of media program, and how to identify the roles, tasks and specialities of production managers, as well as how to interpret the nature of their work.

Both workshops will be hosted in Dubai Media Production Zone, with each workshop welcoming over 40 participants from local theatre groups in the UAE, as well as university students and the public.

Fatma Al Jallaf, Head of Dubai Festival for Youth Theatre and Acting Events Manager at Dubai Culture, commented: “These workshops are focused on developing local theatre talent in the UAE and providing participants with important skills that will allow them to progress and thrive in the theatre sector. This year’s workshop programme has attracted a remarkably high turnout from university students and the general public, and we are pleased that it has proven to be so popular.”

The festival is open to participants aged 15 years or over who have the discipline to commit to the workshop hours, sufficient talent and desire to participate, and the ability to handle the pressures of intensive psychological and physical training. The Authority also stresses that participants must be able to communicate with others through teamwork, and be willing to follow the work ethic required during the practical and theoretical exercises. Interested participants can apply via the following email address:  dfytworkshops@dubaiculture.ae

Dubai Culture is celebrating ten successful years of the festival, which has become a leading platform for nurturing the most promising theatre talent in the UAE and the Gulf region, including directors, script writers, actors, technical professionals and experts in costumes, lighting and make-up.

Dubai Culture aims to enhance Dubai’s cultural scene and draw attention to the Emirate’s rich heritage with a variety of initiatives that take place throughout the year. The Authority’s mandate is to build bridges of constructive dialogue between different civilisations and cultures through enriching initiatives that benefit the Emirate’s citizens, residents and visitors.