Relatable comedy for many from the likeable, hard-working South African stand-up with his new one-man show. He’s turned 40, is middle-aged and married, and has a few complaints about the situation … A Dubai Comedy Festival gig.
Mo Gilligan is black, British and very funny – he’s very good at observational comedy with a very distinctive take on British culture, especially from his home milieu (South London). He says his influences include Dave Chappelle and Chris Rock; [ ... ]
The Brazilian artist has been given regular solo shows at Green Art Gallery every couple of years, and they're always interesting. Her widely (and sometimes wildly) experimental practice appropriates different materials, connecting to the environments in which she works; art, [ ... ]
A new body of work in this solo exhibition from Syrian artist Orman Younis offers "a poignant social commentary on his surroundings, the human condition, and current state of political affairs in the region" that "combines ideas of post-Modernism with [ ... ]
A second day of performances (4pm, 7.30pm, 9.30pm) for this world premiere of a new play written and directed by the award-winning Australian writer/director Alex Broun, well known to Dubai audiences for the past 15 or so years (not least [ ... ]
A selection of local standup talent from the UAE for this English-language Dubai Comedy Festival gig – Abdallah Alansari, aka the Emirati Puppet Master; Ali Saleh Awadh; Abdalla Al Qassab; Saif Almherie; and Obaid Ali Obaid.
South Africa’s favourite doctor-turned-comedian, Riaad Moosa is back in town for a Dubai Comedy Festival gig. He’s very good on observational comedy and he’s not short of an opinion or two, based particularly on his experiences as a Muslim and [ ... ]
This Dubai Comedy festival showcase provides nightly entertainment from an eclectic mix of (mostly local) standups at a pretty good price. Tonight it’s Joshua Dias, John Hague, Bronwyn Byrnes, Sadiq Saboowala, and Rami Salame, hosted by Yash Bhardwaj.
An exhibition of posters produced specifically for this exhibition by 26 artists who come together to shed light on the ethnic cleansing and horrific massacres taking place in the Gaza Strip and to demand the recognition of Palestinian rights to [ ... ]
The final day of performances (7.30pm and 9.30pm) for this world premiere of a new play written and directed by the award-winning Australian writer/director Alex Broun. Torn is described as "a sexy, fast-paced, brutal, funny and at times moving dissection [ ... ]
What looks like the largest and most ambitious concert yet – in nearly 60 years of performance – for Dubai Singers & Orchestra. Some 90 singers and a 60-piece orchestra will perform the seven-part requiem mass, one of classical music’s [ ... ]
Dubomedy's regular Sunday evening stand-up gig has quickly become established, not least because it's free (you do have to pre-register to get on the list) and always entertaining – you never know who you're going to see, and while the [ ... ]
This Dubai Comedy festival showcase provides nightly entertainment from an eclectic mix of (mostly local) standups at a pretty good price. Tonight it’s Sahar Ali, Adi Thomas, Maher Barwany, Tabarak Razvi, Amr Elassal, and Imah Dumagay, hosted by Liz Bains.
New and existing 3D work by the Egyptian artist, whose practice aims to explore the intersection of tradition and globalisation and the impact of political and economic development. The title Bottle Neck reflects “the overload of information that creates a [ ... ]
Thirty years ago, Hiam Abbass left her native village in Galilee to follow her acting dream in France. Camera in hand, her daughter Lina questions her mother’s bold choices and the way the women in her family – who she [ ... ]
Exactly what it says: a regular Monday evening of scenes, stories and narrative improvisation influenced by audience suggestions and featuring the Courtyard Playhouse's most experienced improv performers plus guests. Classic Courtyard stuff. It's free, but you need to put your [ ... ]
Outsider artist CC, better known to his mum as Alireza Asbahi, shows his latest collection of carpets and hangings. It's quirky, interesting art that collages and layers materials and shapes. His works have the same kind of raw energy that [ ... ]
First in a series of seminars on podcasting organised by Warehouse Four and professional AV equipment supplier Advanced Media. Each will feature a keynote presentation by a prominent podcaster, focussing hopefully on the process of producing compelling content, followed by [ ... ]
The French do films about food really rather well. This tale of a pioneering restaurant around the time of the Revolution is a sweet and savoury tribute to food, pleasure and égalité at a particularly piquant moment in French history, [ ... ]
The Fridge Concert Series has always been A Good Thing – typically new(ish) and local(ish) artists given a decent set in a well-equipped space with a supportive audience. Season 43 kicks off with Dubai-based British singer/songwriter Lexie, offering pop and [ ... ]
The second edition of "the Middle East’s neo-culture festival" aims to celebrate the region’s art, fashion and musical tastes (specifically grime and hip-hop) with local and international artists, local and international food outlets, gaming, basketball showdowns, streetwear stalls, curated art, [ ... ]
In the last 30 years, virtual characters in motion pictures have grown from a novelty to a staple of movie-making. This talk for the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute examines is by Luca Fascione, a senior ray tracing engineer for NVIDIA; [ ... ]
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 eliminated. Eventually only [ ... ]
The remarkable young German-Japanese pianist has been winning awards since she was seven; this performance sounds equally impressive in its own way, an autobiographical musical journey built around Chopin's 24 Preludes (the CD also has seven contemporary works to complete [ ... ]
The chance to exhibit in an undeniable architectural icon designed by a starchitect (and priced to attract HNIs) doesn't come along every day. ME Dubai's Cultural Connections programme for the spring features vivid abstracts by Elena Butko and "multidimensional landscapes [ ... ]
Two UAE-based artists reflect on "identity and the eternal quest for belonging within the ebb and flow of time". Sara Al Haddad creates delicate yarn and fibre works that embody the passage of time and hint at her inner struggles; [ ... ]
"A most exotic dreamlike journey" promises the blurb for this successor to the first Beyond the City show last November. Art collective Féminin Pluriel returns with work by Bénédicte Gimonnet; collective memebrs Alison Ladegaillerie, Agnès Sheikh, Alexandra Raynaud, Bénédicte Joland-Chazelle, [ ... ]
A solo show for the artist’s recent work – which aims to depict “the unseen, the felt, and the omnipresent”. Akil creates his compositions through dozens of thin layers, creating depth while avoiding impasto; “the drying process presents and provokes [ ... ]
Tales of displacement and resilience from the Palestinian-Syrian Dutch artist Oussama Diab and Palestinian Wadeei Khaled. "Viewers are invited to explore the delicate terrain of individual and collective memories, manifested in the rich variety of Diab and Khaled’s artworks." The [ ... ]
Improvised PowerPoint presentations. The speakers face a live audience, presenting slides they’ve never seen before, on a topic determined at random by our ‘Wheel of Destiny’. Virtually guaranteed to be funny ... It's free, but you need to put your [ ... ]
The first solo exhibition in the MENA region for the Finnish artist. Her work draws inspiration from ancient basilicas, cathedrals, and other Scandinavian wooden structures. Using wood as her primary medium, Lappi establishes a direct connection to her homeland and [ ... ]
L'ÉCOLE Middle East – Van Cleef and Arpels' school of jewellery arts– is celebrating its opening in Dubai Design District with this spectacular exhibition. The clue is of course in the name: the pieces on show (a hundred or so [ ... ]
"This mesmerising amalgamation of acrobatic excellence" is "a truly breathtaking entertainment phenomenon", opines the organiser's press release. Even allowing for the hyperbole, there’s a good chance that all that will be true: it’s Cirque du Soleil, after all, and for [ ... ]
A conversation between Khaled Akil and Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi supporting the Aleppo-born artist’s first solo show at the gallery. Akil began his career with photography "and gradually liberated himself through different media"; his work suggests that this will be [ ... ]
Dubai Drama Group reprises its 2023 production of Mike Bartlett’s Bull – a title which may be short for bullshit, but which also suggests bullying and bullfighting. Both of those are highly relevant. Three business people wait to hear which [ ... ]
A cocktail reception (8-8.30pm) followed by a recital by the multitalented tenor Joseph Terterian and his pianist Nareg Abajian. We're promised "a unique crossover night of music diversity" from France, including arias by Bizet, Gounod and Massenet; songs made famous [ ... ]
This month's Laughter Factory standup tour has a genuinely good selection of acts: Ron Josol a winner at the Just for Laughs festival, has toured with Kevin Hart Julian Dean "deliciously twisted ... a stream of seriously good gags ... [ ... ]
A second night on JBR for this month's Laughter Factory standup tour. The comics: Ron Josol a winner at the Just for Laughs festival, has toured with Kevin Hart Julian Dean "deliciously twisted ... a stream of seriously good gags [ ... ]
The title more or less says it all – a celebration for one of Dubai's best established comedy outfits with "an epic mash-up of comedy, music and urban arts to celebrate Dubomedy's Sweet 16". DJ Trina handles the sounds, there [ ... ]
A second performance of Dubai Drama Group's production of Mike Bartlett’s Bull – a masterclass in the nastier side of capitalism, an hour of backbiting and baiting, collusion and malice, needling growing into outright aggression as three business people wait [ ... ]
Dubai Opera describes this as "a landmark musical event certain to leave an indelible imprint on the region's artistic tapestry". With allowances for hyperbole, the PR writer could be right; the MusicAeterna orchestra (and its associated choir) is been the primary [ ... ]
A long evening session of feel-good techno and house from the uber-hip Berlin-based South Korean DJ/producer. Why masquerave? Because you get to wear masks, from a collection inspired by the animal characters in the Louvre's current From Kalila Wa Dimna [ ... ]
A solo exhibition that presents a newly commissioned large-scale installation rooted in the instability and fragility of the human experience — more than 200 fantastical ceramic objects arranged as surreal sculptures and structures that replicate and reimagine healthcare spaces, such [ ... ]
This exhibition presents projects by 12 of the participants in 421’s Homebound Residency Program, which ran annually from spring 2020 to fall 2023; it is both a celebration of the work produced during the programme and an acknowledgement of the [ ... ]
Colombia comes to Dubai; 45 professional dancers, musicians, and actors from the country deliver a 90-minute spectacle showcasing the culture, music, and dance of Colombia. It’s all hung on a plot involving Emirati journalists who are touring Colombia, but the [ ... ]
Chopin favourites by candlelight, a recital for solo piano by Magdalena Wajdzik. These concerts are "a series of classical music concerts aimed at democratising access to classical music by allowing people all over the world to enjoy live candlelit music [ ... ]
A second (and final) performance for the rather special MusicAeterna orchestra with its unorthodox Greek-born Russian conductor Teodor Currentzis. He founded MusicAeterna in Russia in 2004, when he was serving as principal conductor of the Novosibirsk Opera and Ballet Theatre [ ... ]
Chopin favourites by candlelight, a recital for solo piano by Also Dotto. These concerts are "a series of classical music concerts aimed at democratising access to classical music by allowing people all over the world to enjoy live candlelit music [ ... ]
The 33rd ADIBF 2024 – which runs 29 April to 5 May at ADNEC under the slogan ‘Where the World’s Tales Unfold’ – will be showing 1,350 publishers from 90 countries (12 of them represented for the first time), 375 [ ... ]
Matthew Teller’s Nine Quarters of Jerusalem: A New Biography of the Old City (2022) gives voice to the layered tapestry of communities, each with its own story, that make up the city. His talk for the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute [ ... ]
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