{Big thanks to Orb Theatricals and Stepping Stones for inviting me for a private viewing!}
I love going to the theatre. As the house lights dim, I adore immersing myself into the onstage characters’ lives: their joys, secrets and pesky habits brought to life by dedicated actors and actresses who’ve spent so much of their time deciphering how to bring words in a script to life in a way that those of us spending just a thirty minutes with them, will care about those characters’ needs long after we’ve applauded and left for our homes.
Orb Theatrical‘s Director Sabiha Majgaonkar brings two of Australian writer, Cerise de Gelder‘s scripts to the Dubai stage on Friday, July 19th 3:30PM and 7:30PM at the Junction Theatre. “Unforgettable” and “Snap” are each a nifty thirty minutes long with a fifteen minute interval between the sets.
“It’s like getting two air-conditioned summer shows for the price of one,” laughed Sabiha.
The first, “Unforgettable” follows a lively and emotional series of vignettes ranging from the 1500s till today as pairings debate whether a particularly controversial art piece will be timeless or forgotten by history. If you’re fond of art history like me, you’ll definitely enjoy this sharp script’s fun references to the Medici’s (hint hint) and nods to other notable artist trivia!
I got the nicest surprise when Sabiha announced, “Places everyone, we’re going to do a full run-through of “Unforgettable” for Nikita!” And the talented cast — a great mix of newcomers from Orb Theatrical’s branch “Stepping Stones” for theatre students joined with veteran Dubai-based actors — actually gave me the honor of a private viewing of their upcoming show 🙂
It’s truly a magical feeling to have the whole theatre to yourself. I felt like a fly on a wall peering into Cerise’s vignettes of friends confiding in one another or eavesdropping on a couple’s heated discussion of their issues rather than a veritable “member of the audience” entitled to hear the characters’ ongoings empowered by a ticket in-hand. “Unforgettable” ties together everything from dirty humor to heartbreaking emotional revelations in its thirty minutes.
As for the second show on the playbill, I can only eagerly await to see “Snap” tomorrow! Fittingly enough, the show is a mystery — a bit of a whodunit piece so I’m actually quite pleased that I haven’t gotten to peek at the performance yet. From what I hear, the storyline involves the various perspectives of a group when they stumble upon a dead body on a promontory and try to piece together the events that led to the death, murder or suicide while their own secrets threaten to spill forth. I’m pretty intrigued and looking forward to seeing some actors from Short+Sweet return to the stage!
“Dark comedy is my favorite genre,” said Sabiha about her love for Cerise de Gelder’s scripts, “And you’ll definitely see that unique humor in ‘Snap’. I’ve got a full collection of Cerise’s plays – I feel like we’re friends at this point!”
Sabiha finds teaching theatre classes through Stepping Stones a great way to give back to the community with her fourteen years of experience. “I want people to come and see new people’s potential on stage, and for each production to reflect what and who’s coming up next in Dubai theatre.” From what I saw at last night’s rehearsal, I can safely say there’s great stuff coming to the stage soon!
I hope to see you and your friends at the shows on Friday July 19th: 3:30PM or 7:30PM at the Junction Theatre. Tickets are available on PlatinumList.net and at the theatre doors for Dhs.75. Until next time, keep exploring! ❤ xoxo #nikitalyfe
Director Sabiha Majgaonkar provides her actors with some post-rehearsal notes ahead of Opening Day!
#nikitalyfe 