magpie

Wednesday Night Impro: Maestro
2026-03-11 20:00 - 22:00, 2026-03-18 20:00 - 22:00 (Asia/Dubai) | Courtyard Playhouse, Street 4B, Al Quoz 1, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The Courtyard’s popular evening of elimination improv. Ten actors converge for a night of scenes, songs and games based on audience suggestions. After each round you score the players on a scale of 1 to 5, and the one with the lowest score is knocked out. Eventually only one remains, to be crowned the Maestro. “Fast-paced, unpredictable, and hilarious” says the promo, and you couldn’t argue with that. As with all Courtyard improv evenings it’s free, but you need to put your name on the guestlist (via the website); and it’s first-come first-served, so get there early to grab a seat.

Memoryscape: Contemporary Visions Across the Arab Diaspora
2026-03-12 | Artbooth Gallery, Centro Capital Center, Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street, Abu Dhabi
A group show for six contemporary artists of Arab descent: Gilbert Halaby, Hanibal Srouji, Hussein Baalbaki, Richard Hearns, Sarah Alagroobi, and Soraya Abu Naba’a. Says the gallery: “At the heart of Memoryscape lies a shared inquiry into how our surroundings shape, hold, and recall our histories. For these artists, the landscape is more than scenery, it is an archive of experience, a repository of emotion, and a mirror of identity …”
To 26 April.
Above: Hussein Baalbaki, Seaside (2025). Below: Gilbert Halaby , September Hues (2025)

The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club
2026-03-12 20:00 - 22:00 | The Bay, Al Hamra Golf Club, Al Hamra, Ras Al Khaimah
The Laughter Factory is powering through Ramadan with a decent bill:
Andrew Ryan Hard-working Irish standup with a sharp wit, good observational comedy, and a lovely warm voice for telling stories
Yash Bhardwaj The Dubai-based Indian comedian is a stalwart of the local comedy scene, with quick wit and relatable humour
Rula Korban A magpie favourite – a highly colourful life provides much of her material, and she really is talented
The rest of the schedule:
13 Mar Radisson DAMAC Hills
14 Mar Dukes The Palm

Comedy Lounge
2026-03-12 20:00 - 22:30 | The Coterie, Level 2, Ibn Battuta Mall, Jebel Ali, Dubai
Flamingo Live’s comedy club is back at the Coterie pub in Ibn Battuta Mall “with a fresh lineup of comedians bringing the heat” … The door price includes two drinks (and it’s Happy Hour all night).

LAST CHANCE The Dice Player: Mahmoud Darwish
2026-03-13 | House of WIsdom, Al Juraina 1, Sharjah
A celebration of the life and work of the great Palestinian poet (b.1941 d.2008) that unfolds across six themed sections – The Son explores his childhood in Al-Birwa; The Poet highlights his early literary beginnings; The Exiled follows his displacement and travels; The Lover examines the role of love in his work; The Activist reflects his national commitment and the transformation of language into struggle; and The Absent Presence commemorates his enduring human and artistic legacy.
Rather than a biography, the exhibition traces the evolution of his work through words, images, and music, reflecting his vision of life and poetry; it offers an interactive artistic and cultural journey, using AV technology to immerse visitors in Mahmoud Darwish’s poetry and prose. .

Sara Naim: From the Perspective of Language
2026-03-13 | The Third Line, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Sara Naim’s fourth solo show at the gallery is also her first public exhibition of paintings, large-scale works produced between 2023 and 2026 that move between figuration and abstraction. The exhibition is accompanied by a new video performance, Mother Practices Her Tongue (2026), which “abstracts the Arabic language into gestures and sounds that no longer produce coherent meaning … Together, the paintings and video extend Naim’s ongoing investigation into how meaning is constructed through inherited systems such as language, symbols, and ideology”.
To 31 May.
Above: Sara Naim, Skin 8 (2025)

The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club
2026-03-13 20:30 - 22:00 | Radisson DAMAC Hills, Hessa Street Dubailand, Dubai
The Laughter Factory is powering through Ramadan with a decent bill:
Andrew Ryan Hard-working Irish standup with a sharp wit, good observational comedy, and a lovely warm voice for telling stories
Yash Bhardwaj The Dubai-based Indian comedian is a stalwart of the local comedy scene, with quick wit and relatable humour
Rula Korban A magpie favourite – a highly colourful life provides much of her material, and she really is talented
The final gig is 14 Mar Dukes The Palm

Douglas White: The Great Wave
2026-03-14 | Leila Heller Gallery, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Throughout his practice, White approaches sculpture as a kind of material alchemy – discarded substances are reworked forms that appear uncannily animate: industrial debris becomes wave, tree, or cosmic surface, revealing unexpected continuities between natural forces and technological systems.
Two sculptures form the centre of the exhibition. In The Great Wave (after Hokusai), fragments of torn tyre rubber collected from roadsides around the world gather into a dense, turbulent crest that rises above the viewer – one of the most recognisable images in art history, understood as a moment of impending force poised above fragile human lives. And the monumental Black Palm rises through the gallery like an improbable organism, assembled from lengths of discarded tyre rubber, its trunk and fronds have presence of a living structure – an artificial tree grown from the residues of global mobility.
Across the exhibition White’s works reveal the hidden energies that shape material form. In the Lichtenberg Drawings, high-voltage electrical discharges burn branching patterns directly into the surface of wood, creating lightning-like structures that emerge through the interaction of energy and resistance. And the electroformed Black Sun works develop slowly through the accumulation of copper in electrically charged baths, allowing metallic surfaces to crystallise over time.
To 6 May.

The Laughter Factory Premium Comedy Club
2026-03-14 20:00 - 22:00 | Dukes The Palm, Palm Dubai, Dubai
The Laughter Factory is powering through Ramadan with a decent bill:
Andrew Ryan Hard-working Irish standup with a sharp wit, good observational comedy, and a lovely warm voice for telling stories
Yash Bhardwaj The Dubai-based Indian comedian is a stalwart of the local comedy scene, with quick wit and relatable humour
Rula Korban A magpie favourite – a highly colourful life provides much of her material, and she really is talented

The Funny Femmes
2026-03-14 21:00 - 22:00 | Pepperoni Comedy Club, 25 Jump Street 25h Hotel, One Central World Trade Center, Dubai
Well worth the ticket price for an hour of comedy from three genuinely good female Dubai standups – Denise Alexe, Saaniya Abbas and Noha Bashir.

POSTPONED Artists’ Rooms: Kamruzzaman Shahdin
2026-03-15 | Jameel Arts Centre, Al Jaddaf, Dubai
A monumental one-room installation that restages the Bangladeshi artist’s The River Remembers. Originally commissioned by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation and created in 2023, this large-scale textile work has handcrafted threads mapping the colour of the water of the Teesta and the Brahmaputra, two rivers flowing through the Bengal delta. Engraved brass disks convey the memories and migration stories of two women in the artist’s life whose own lives were strongly marked by the river. To 1 November.

Artists' Rooms: Kamruzzaman Shadhin
2026-03-15 | Jameel Arts Centre, Al Jaddaf, Dubai
This one-room installation restages Shadhin’s monumental The River Remembers. In this large-scale textile artwork, handcrafted threads map the colour of the water of the Teesta and the Brahmaputra, two rivers flowing through the Bengal delta. Engraved brass disks convey the memories and migration stories of two women in the artist’s life: his mother and Johura Begum, a traditional jute weaver in his village. Affected by the 1947 partition of Bengal, their lives were strongly marked by the river.
To 1 November.

Around The World in 8 Comedians
2026-03-15 19:30 - 22:00 | Daftar, Mezzanine Floor, Tower 1 - Al Fattan Currency House, DIFC, Dubai
Flamingo Live’s “global comedy adventure without leaving Dubai” – eight standups from around the world. The door price is fully redeemable on food and drinks!

Modanse
2026-03-17 20:00 - 22:00 | Dubai Opera
The Bolshoi prima Svetlana Zakharova returns to Dubai Opera with dancers from the Bolshoi company for a one-night-only presentation of her touring double bill. The main piece is Gabrielle Chanel, an hour-long bio-ballet featuring 80 costumes created by the eponymous couture house for scenes from Chanel’s life; the evening opens with Mauro Bigonzetti’s Come un Respiro, an attempt to translate the sense of human breath within its choreography and score (which is based on music by Handel).

LAST CHANCE Kais Salman: Remnants
2026-03-18
New work by Kais Salman, who “places his audience among ruins … his recent body of work acting as a pile of forgotten images buried beneath decades of historical buildup … Faces emerge through Salman’s energetic brushwork, only to fade back into the walls and dissolve into material debris. Therefore, rendering his paintings as spaces of loss …” Recognised for his very characteristic abstract expressionist style, Salman’s energetic brushwork and gestural application of acrylics in vibrant colours express an urgency and energy, “a space where introspection transforms into insight”.

LAST CHANCE Saher Nassar: Chronicles from the Storm
2026-03-18 | Zawyeh Gallery, Warehouse 27, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai
In this new body of work, Nassar reflects on prolonged states of loss, endurance, and moral exhaustion, translating deeply personal and collective experiences across multiple mediums. Says the gallery: “Rather than seeking resolution or catharsis, the works dwell in a state of moral exhaustion where clarity is suspended and certainty dissolves. This prolonged experience becomes a reluctant muse, granting the artist the distance needed to engage more deeply with his subject matter: studies of loss, the collapse of familiar symbols, the formation of new convictions, and an intimacy with endurance that arrives without epiphany or closure …”

LAST CHANCE Noura Ali-Ramahi: I Am Not a Chair. Am I a Fox?
2026-03-18 | Khawla Art Gallery, Plaza 30, 12B Delma St., Abu Dhabi
This solo show includes works created over several years, using acrylic, pastel, ink, charcoal, and found materials such as wood, fabric, and recycled objects. At the centre of the exhibition is the recurring image of the chair, appearing as a symbol of structure, expectation, and imposed identity. Opposite it stands the fox: alert, untamed, and in motion, representing instinct, freedom, and a refusal to remain fixed.

The Comedy Lab
2026-03-19 21:00 - 23:00 | Radisson Red, Dubai Digital Park, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai
MadCat Comedy’s regular stop in Silicon Oasis promises “insane laughs every week”. The door price of AED 99 includes one drink and popcorn.

LAST CHANCE :mentalKLINIK: Are You Human Enough
2026-03-20 | Gallery Isabelle, Unit 17, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Set within an environment of visual overload and compulsive accumulation, the work in this third solo exhibition at the gallery for the artist duo centres on the human figure at risk of dissolving into surface, interface, and pattern – a mere carrier of data and aesthetic signals.
The exhibition brings together a video work featuring the MetaHuman Viola (from the series Lunatic Poet, 2024), whose fragmented speech echoes the pressures of contemporary digital life; and LIKEWISE (2025: above), a 360-degree installation composed of camouflaged mirrored panels – printed surfaces depicting parrots, lobsters, manicured hands, lipstick, and jewellery are physically disrupted through smearing and erosion, merging digital production with manual intervention. Camouflage patterns, advertising references, and fractured reflections interrupt clear vision, producing moments of visual saturation and pause …

LAST CHANCE Past Through Here
2026-03-20 | Maraya Art Centre, Al Qasba, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
A student-curated exhibition developed by students from the American University of Sharjah under the mentorship of Sheikh Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, Founder of the Barjeel Art Foundation, and drawing on works from Barjeel’s noted collection of modern and contemporary Arab art. The exhibition explores memory, movement and belonging.

The Red Turtle: dir Michaela Dudoka De Wita (2016)
2026-03-20 19:00 - 20:30 | Louvre Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi
An animated fantasy drama with no dialogue that tells the story of a man shipwrecked on an uninhabited island. His attempts to escape are foiled by what turns out to be a giant red hawksbill sea turtle; she turns into a red-haired woman, they reconcile, and they live together on the island … Suspended between reality and a dream, this poetic story is a meditation on beauty, nature and the stages of human life. An Oscar nominee and an award-winner from Cannes, the film was a co-production of legendary Studio Ghibli and a number of French production companies.
Highly recommended. Screens in support of the Abu Dhabi Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Project in collaboration with The National Aquarium and the Environment Agency.

The Zero Apologies Show
2026-03-20 20:00 - 23:30 | Xandros, Singature 1 Hotel, Barsha Heights, Dubai
“A comedy show where you are the joke.” Mad Cat Comedy’s main man Miqdaad D pushes the boundaries … The cover charge of AED 80 includes one drink.

The Story of Art: What Is Art Anyway? Abstract Expressionism & Pop Art
2026-03-21 11:00 - 12:30 | Bassam Freiha Art Foundation, Cultural District Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi
Bassam Freiha Art Foundation’s monthly lecture series, led by Dr Michaela Watrelot, BFAF Curator and Director of Exhibitions, continues with that moment in the twentieth century when artists began to radically challenge traditional ideas of art, authorship, and meaning. In the aftermath of World War II, some artists turned inward, using movement and emotion to create deeply personal works; others embraced mass media and consumer culture as subjects for art itself. Through the works of Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and other influential figures, the lecture will examine how Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art transformed the relationship between art and everyday life.

Anirban Dasgupta: Cry Daddy
2026-03-21 19:00 - 20:30 | Theatre by QE2, Queen Elizabeth 2, Port Rashid, Dubai
Anirban Dasgupta returns to Dubai with his third stand-up special, fresh from its debut last year at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and a successful run at the Soho Theatre in London.
Kolkata born and Mumbai based, Anirban Dasgupta comes across as mild-mannered and playful. But this cleverly structured show is sharper and more carefully honed than this might imply … His childhood dream was to become a sportsman. Now a new father navigating the chaotic second half of his life, he’s wondering whether everything – from comedy to parenting – is actually just a game. Who’s winning? Who’s losing? And does anyone really know the score?
The show unfolds as an immersive stand-up match played with the audience, where each joke is scored and the contest continues until the final punchline. With yellow cards, half-time pep talks, trash talking, and shirt swapping, the audience becomes part of the action, left debating scores and outcomes as the show goes down to the wire …
The evening will be hosted and opened by Arpit Varshne, who quit a perfectly good job as a Dubai radio jockey to move to India ain the pursuit of stand-up comedy greatness. Sharp, self-aware, and just the right amount of unhinged, Arpit sets the tone before Anirban takes the mic …

Saaniya Abbas: Hellarious
2026-03-21 21:00 - 22:00 | Pepperoni Comedy Club, 25 Jump Street 25h Hotel, One Central World Trade Center, Dubai
The razor-sharp Dubai-based comedian with a version of the well-reviewed UK tour that she’s just finished, an irreverent exploration of her experiences as a ‘cultural Muslim’: “My mother always said I’d go to hell, so I figured I might as well write a show about it”. Recommended.

Joke Hub
2026-03-21 21:00 - 22:30 | Canopy by Hilton Dubai Al Seef, Al Seef Street, Umm Hurair 1, Dubai
A regular Mad Cat Comedy night – “Dubai’s wildest comedy show on Saturday” at “the first purpose built comedy room in the country” (whatever that means). The cover charge of AED 99 includes two F&B coupons.

Sunday Night Comedy
2026-03-22 19:00 - 21:30 | Social Distrikt, The Pointe, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai
Dubomedy’s highly successful comedy gig at Hushh in Social Distrikt, this time with an Eid focus. “Expect a fantastic lineup of comedians, laughter and levity, and great vibes with your favourite comedy tribe.”

Théotime Gillot: Hommage à Haydn
2026-03-22 20:00 - 21:30 | Dubai Opera Studio, Downtown Dubai, Dubai
Another hit for the Steinway Series bookers, with the exciting French pianist in a programme that pays homage to Haydn via some of the master’s own piano works and pieces from composers that he inspired. The programme:
George Benjamin Meditation on Haydn’s name
Joseph Haydn Thème and Variations in F Minor, Hob XVII: 6
Maurice Ravel Menuet sur le nom d’Haydn
Joseph Haydn Sonata in C Major, Hob XVI: 50
Intermission
Paul Dukas Prélude Élégiaque sur le nom de Haydn
Joseph Haydn Sonata in D Major, Hob XVI: 24
Claude Debussy Hommage à Haydn
Joseph Haydn Sonata in E-flat Major, Hob XVI: 52

Move Pause Return
2026-03-23 | Gallery Isabelle, Unit 17, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Gallery Isabelle is celebrating its 20th anniversary, not least with this interesting exhibition that grew out of a conversation with Alexie Glass-Kantor, Curatorial Director at Art Dubai Group, around the notion of accumulation – as both a curatorial method and a lived experience. So for this 20-day exhibition, 20 artists have been invited to participate – “artists … who were present from the very beginning, who helped build the ecosystem alongside us, and who have grown, persisted, and moved forward together over time”.
The aim is to reflect “an accumulated history of stories, relationships, and artistic development … Accumulation here speaks to first encounters and decisive turning points, to emblematic works that shifted narratives, to new introductions, neighbours, and the wider community that has enabled the gallery to remain present, relevant, responsive, and adaptable across two decades”.
The exhibition itself features one new work each day during the run: writers, collectors, and curators have been invited to engage closely with a selected work, contributing a short text that responds to their encounter with it. The 20 days will culminate in a reception at the gallery on 11 April, where all works will be exhibited simultaneously to mark “a collective celebration of the scene we have built, sustained, and continue to shape together”.
