Talent is plentiful as the curtain rings down on the Dubai Festival for Youth Theatre

The festival was organized, with the dual purpose of providing a launch pad for the UAE's young talent as well as an entertaining summer treat for people who enjoy theatre.

Sheikh Majed declared: "There is now a platform for our young people to hone their talent and stagecraft and be recognized in our nation, the region and the world."

"The Dubai Festival for Youth Theatre is part of a series of cultural projects the DCAA is initiating with the aim of enhancing the status of Dubai as a global city of arts and culture. To achieve this, we are not only creating the most conducive infrastructure and environment, but also identifying and developing home-grown and regional talent and exposing it to world-class skills so it can compare with the best globally,"

he pointed out.

"The performing arts have a huge role to play in enriching our cultural life. They provide new perspectives on social issues and stimulate imaginative ideas and approaches. Furthermore, by virtue of their interactive nature, the performing arts help to build tightly-knit artistic and cultural communities. This Festival has contributed significantly towards raising the profile of performing arts in the country," Sheikh Majed added.

The closing night of The Dubai Festival for Youth Theatre included an Awards ceremony for The Best Play, The Best Director, The Best Actor, The Best Actress and The Best Playwright.

The Awards were presented by Mohammed Al Murr Vice chairman of the DCAA. The evening saw Anambar - Dubai Al Ahli Theatre walk away with the award for the Best Play. The Best Playwright Award went to Jasim Al Kharraz in the play Zaman Al Youm - Dubai Folklore. In the best director category, there was a tie between Marwan Abdulla (Anambar from Dubai Al Ahli Theater) and Hamad Abdulrazaq (Al Sitarah - Sharjah National Theater). Bedour (Zaman Al Youm - Dubai Folklore Theatre) received the Award for Best Actress. The Best Lead Actor award went to Hussain Yousef (Anambar - Dubai Al Ahli Theater).

HE Dr. Omar Bin Sulaiman, Managing Director of the DCAA said: "One of the key objectives of this Festival was to help build the capacity of our young people so that when the physical cultural infrastructure is complete, they can tread the boards of the stage and perform at world-class levels. As evidenced by the plays staged at this Festival, the UAE's theatre scene has a wealth of wonderful young talent. By encouraging competition among the participating troupes the Festival was able to extract exceptional performances from the young artists. The DCAA will continue in its efforts to identify, nurture and develop talent so that we can raise the quality of performing arts in the country.

"From an organizational level, we have been extremely gratified by the large turnout, the enthusiastic audience response and the rich interaction between professionals and the audience. On several counts, the Dubai Festival for Youth Theatre has been a successful event," he added.

The 10-day Festival was held from August 10-20 at the Cultural and Scientific Association in Dubai's Al Mamzar area. Each night a new play in Arabic was presented.

The organisers received an overwhelming response and selected eight of the best theatre troupes to perform at the Festival. The plays featured local and regional themes and were written and directed by some of the best-known names in the region.

The Organising Committee of the Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) actively supported the Festival in keeping with its spirit of providing entertaining social and cultural activities throughout the summer in Dubai.

Ismail Abdulla, Chairman of the Theatrical Association of Sharjah and an Advisor on the Festival Committee, said the Festival was part of active efforts to engage young nationals in theatre.

"As such, the initiative was not limited to Dubai alone, but it is a countrywide effort to promote talent among our youth," Ismail said.