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Sunday
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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10 events,
Cirque du Liban comes to Yas with "the first travelling water circus in the Middle East ... live entertainment, breathtaking artistic performances in a tailor-made aqua theatre, waterfalls cascading, artists diving and performing mind-blowing Aquatic experience". The previews look great, [... more]
From AED 100
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, [... more]
From AED 75
"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 [... more]
From AED 175
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 [... more]
From AED 345
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 [... more]
Free
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 [... more]
Free
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 [... more]
From AED 250
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 [... more]
From AED 150
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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 [... more]
From AED 275
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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 [... more]
From AED 200
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4 events,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 [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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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 [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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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 [... more]
Free but donations welcome
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4 events,Paintings and drawings by Manjit Bawa (1941-2008), a modernist master of 20th-century Indian figuration whose work is distinguished by expressive line and colour. The exhibition marks the inauguration of Volte Art Projects’ new Alserkal Avenue space under the name Volte [... more]
Free
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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 – but for International Jazz Day the bookers have made something of [... more]
AED 80
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9 events,A summer-long exhibition of work from one of the gallery’s stalwarts, Timur D'Vatz, featuring his signature mix of stylised figures and symbolic settings that owe something to mediaeval European tapestry, something to Byzantine decoration. The title refers to the dawn [... more]
Free
A solo show for the French-born LA-based street artist who started filming graffiti art and subsequently became an artist in his own right after an off-hand suggestion from Banksy. As it happens, many of the 10 works on show here [... more]
Free
"We bring together animation enthusiasts, professionals, and children to celebrate the art and craft of animation." This second edition of the conference actually offers a rich programme of workshops, talks, screenings, and exhibitions which seem most suited to the industry; [... more]
AED 280
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In a dystopian present, it hasn't rained in Rome for three years: the drought has reduced water reserves to a minimum and there's an epidemic of sleeping sickness carried by cockroaches. Through a city dying of thirst and prohibitions moves [... more]
Free
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The acclaimed Egyptian theatre-maker Ahmed El Attar adapts and directs an Arabic version of Duncan Macmillan’s powerful, poignant play – an hour of life and humour about mental health. As her mother battles chronic depression, the child creates a list [... more]
AED 105
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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 [... more]
Free but donations welcome
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This standup tour arrives at The Club in Abu Dhabi (which has been a bit starved of Laughter Factory's tours recently). Tickets are AED 150 to members, AED 160 to others; that also buys you entrance to an afterparty. The [... more]
AED 160
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7 events,
The second weekend for "a truly breathtaking entertainment phenomenon", with Cirque du Soleil exploring brand-new creative territory by combining its signature acrobatics with ice-skating. So acrobats and skaters perform on the ice and in the air, seamlessly combining disciplines from [... more]
From AED 175
World Art Dubai is back for its tenth edition, with more than 4,000 artworks from 300+ galleries and individual artists who come from more than 60- different countries. WAD has grown out of its early days as a simple lo-fi [... more]
AED 25
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Second (of three) performances for this Arabic version of Duncan Macmillan’s powerful, poignant play – an hour of life and humour about mental health, adapted and directed by the acclaimed Egyptian theatre-maker Ahmed El Attar. As her mother battles chronic [... more]
AED 105
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This month's Laughter Factory standup tour winds up with three final dates in Dubai. 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 [... more]
AED 160
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10 events,
—
The final performance for this Arabic version of Duncan Macmillan’s powerful, poignant play – an hour of life and humour about mental health, adapted and directed by the acclaimed Egyptian theatre-maker Ahmed El Attar. As her mother battles chronic depression, [... more]
AED 105
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Widely acclaimed for his inventiveness and artistry, the noted Latvian violinist Gidon Kremer is accompanied by his ensemble, Kremerata Baltica — a chamber orchestra of musicians from Baltic countries – in an elegant-looking programme. Programme: Jēkabs Jančevskis Lignum for strings, [... more]
From AED 225
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The penultimate gig for this month's Laughter Factory: 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 ... quick, sharply written and endlessly [... more]
AED 160
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The final gig for this month's Laughter Factory: 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 ... quick, sharply written and endlessly [... more]
AED 160
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This is an English version of an award-winning French comedy from 2021, Les Gros Patinent Bien, by Pierre Guillois and Olivier Martin-Salvan. That was a story which began with boxes: in the corner of a rehearsal room, deprived of stage [... more]
AED 120
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13 events,This exhibition spotlights new and historical works from the Sharjah Art Foundation Collection that present the range and possibilities of drawing and print culture. The first instalment of a four-part series, it delves into the concept of “the double, the [... more]
Free
The first UAE exhibition for the NY-based artist, featuring works created in Dubai during her time at the NIKA Project Space Research and Residency programme – a group of monumental watercolour triptychs on the multifaceted narratives and histories of women [... more]
Free
The New-York based artist gets her first show in the UAE, featuring works she created in Dubai during her time at the NIKA Project Space Research and Residency programme – monumental watercolour triptychs that relate to the narratives and histories [... more]
Free
New and historical works by 15 intergenerational artists in the Sharjah Art Foundation Collection that explore drawing as a practice. The exhibition grew out of a two-year research project into conserving paper; it seeks to re-examine the very nature of [... more]
Free
The Jameel's annual handover of the arts centre to a selected cohort of young visionaries starts on Saturday 4 May and runs to Monday 27 May. There will be multiple artwork and installation "interventions" across the ground floor of the [... more]
Free
Spectacular and crowd-pleasing genre-crossing work from Moscow’s hottest contemporary dance company, created by celebrity choreographer Alla Duhova in 1986 and still led by her. There's nothing academic about their work – their styles range from ballet to break via hip-hop [... more]
From AED 200
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A new VOX cinemas series of live comedy gigs kicks off with Shawn Chidiac, aka ‘My Parents are Divorced'. He's especially good at spot-on impressions but is all-round funny ...
AED 175
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The second performance for this hit comedy two-hander by Pierre Guillois and Olivier Martin-Salvan, reworked from the French original for an Anglophone audience at last year’s Edinburgh Festival. There were rave reviews for a show that has an imposing Shakespearian [... more]
AED 120
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8 events,A collection of abstract figurative works on canvas, "inviting viewers into a realm of recognition and constant metamorphosis ... Each 190 x 120cm canvas serves as a conduit for Miramar's endeavour to encapsulate the essence of the natural formations of [... more]
Free
Eskandari's exuberant and busy paintings intertwine myth and reality, exploring the power of storytelling – the artist's inspiration for this series comes from the Shahnameh, or the Book of Kings, an ancient Persian epic poem filled with mythical figures and [... more]
Free
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The final two performances for this hit comedy two-hander by Pierre Guillois and Olivier Martin-Salvan, reworked from the French original for an Anglophone audience at last year’s Edinburgh Festival. There were rave reviews for a show that has an imposing [... more]
AED 120
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3 events,
—
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 [... more]
Free but donations welcome
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11 events,Ebtekar's exhibition is presented as "one work in seven chapters", each composed of one to four doorway-sized panels that combine multi-wavelength photographic processes with the artist's distinctive cloud-making brushstrokes. Inspired by Farid ud-Din Attar's Sufi poem Conference of the Birds, [... more]
Free
Jauffer is an artist who deals in the metaphoric potential of everyday objects, find the ironies in his everyday surroundings ad teasing out the spatial, poetic relationships between his subjects and their frangible correlation to human beings. "Discarded objects and [... more]
Free
The first-ever solo exhibition for artist, architect and researcher Dima Srouji, whose work acts as a form of political commentary and as a place-making (or un-making) tool – "Interested in the ground, objects, displacement, restitution, forgeries, and living archives, the [... more]
Free
The second of three exhibitions showcasing contemporary approaches to textile and fibre art curated for Green Art Gallery by Murtaza Vali. It brings together work by four contemporary artists – M’barek Bouhchichi, Sayan Chanda, Himali Singh Soin, and Swapnaa Tamhane [... more]
Free
Yassin explores the implications of Roland Barthes' concept of "the return of the dead" in photography, playing on the tension between memory and ghostliness by utilising old black and white photographs to evoke loss and the fleeting nature of memory. [... more]
Free
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A Reel Palestine capsule programme of six films which challenge narratives that have long marginalised Palestinian voices, advocating for an embrace and amplification of their stories. Bab El Shams (Gate of the Sun): dir Yousri Nasrallah (2004) A powerful film [... more]
prices vary – check website
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Screenwriter Noémie (Agnès Jaoui) is invited to give a msterclass at a school that turns out to be run by the man who was her first love (Jonathan Zaccaï). She teaches Vincent and his students that the art of writing [... more]
AED 45
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A regular monthly evening of improv and stand-up hosted by Rushdi. The bar's set pretty high: "from side-splitting stand-up to mesmerising improv, the finest comedic artists from near and far come to showcase their talent."
Free, but pre-register
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The Fridge Concert Series gives the Dubai-based singer-songwriter an evening for her 2022 album Qisse – a musical journey of self-love and acceptance, with songs in Hindi, Tamil and English, and slick modern production values that are noticaebly rooted in [... more]
AED 80
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5 events,
A solo exhibition of works by Manolo Valdés, the Spanish artist known for his unique approach of drawing from art history to create his paintings, prints, and sculptures in a signature style of pared-down forms and unrefined mark-making. Through meticulous [... more]
Free
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Dima Srouji, whose Charts for a Resurrection show opens here the day before, is in conversation with Myrna Ayad. This should be a productive chat; Srouji is a particularly interesting artist – a graduate of the Yale School of Architecture [... more]
Free
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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 [... more]
Free but donations welcome
|
6 events,
The Sydney-based media artist and motion graphic designer has assembled a cutting-edge immersive 3D-projection show that translates ocean data collected by NASA into what the organisers describe as “a stunning kaleidoscope of vibrant corals and sea creatures ... What Lies [... more]
Free
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A 40-minute dance performance conceived as part of artist Gözde İlkin’s installation in the current NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery exhibition In Real Time (which ends on 9 June). It's a collaboration between İlkin, choreographer Aslı Öztürk, musician Berke Can [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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An artist talk by Ala Ebtekar at Alserkal Arts Foundation that draws from his recent explorations and research on art in public space. Ebtekar expands the critical framework of conversation around public art projects, exploring various tools of cultural production [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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Dubai Opera's short Film Music Week opens with a tribute concert for Ennio Morricone. Under the baton of his son Andrea Morricone, the Armenian Symphony Orchestra and Dubai Festival Chorus will bring to life the music from films such as [... more]
From AED 275
|
6 events,
—
The world’s most romantic ballet reimagined as "a family-friendly acrobatic spectacular"? Australia's Circa Contemporary Circus is one of the globe’s leading performance companies, pioneering how extreme physicality can create powerful and moving performances and drawing rave reviews and standing ovations [... more]
AED 155
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Top Francophone comedy with Nassim Mellah, Benito, and Malcolm & Syphax. There's drinks and nibbles at 8pm, the show starts at 8.30pm. AF members pay AED 100, the rest of us AED 125.
AED 125
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A second tribute concert for Ennio Morricone in Dubai Opera's Film Week. Under the baton of his son Andrea Morricone, the Armenian Symphony Orchestra and Dubai Festival Chorus plays music from films such as The Good, the Bad and the [... more]
From AED 275
|
12 events,
The second (of four) presentations in Dubai Opera's Film Music Week features a screening of the first Star Wars movie from 1977 (feeling old yet?), featuring one of John Williams' most stirring scores. It's accompanied live by the Armenian State [... more]
From AED 275
The final performances of this 40-minute dance performance, conceived as part of artist Gözde İlkin’s installation in the current NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery exhibition In Real Time (which ends on 9 June). It's a collaboration between İlkin, choreographer Aslı [... more]
Free, but pre-register
A group show for Saudi artists associated with Gharem Studio, Riyadh (including its founder and the co-owner). Works on display include photography, printmaking, video, installation and sculpture; "in this show you will discover that studios are places through which you [... more]
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Led by poet and researcher Momtaza Mehri, this writing workshop traces what diaspora means as a space of both collectivity and tension. Paryicipants are invited to "write around, and through, objects that represent the inward facing, closely-held relationship we have [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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A second performance (of three) for this exuberant take on Swan Lake (with a hint of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling) that mixes the enchantment of the ballet with the thrill of the circus. Australia's Circa Contemporary Circus is [... more]
AED 155
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Alserkal Avenue is being taken over for this weekend's evenings by a food festival involving the Avenue's own F&B outlets and a mass of invited incomers. Should be good – and the highlight of the first evening will probably be [... more]
Free
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Ishara Art Foundation presents talks by Gauri Gill, Shefalee Jain and Mariam Suhail with their first public presentations in the UAE – the ongoing exhibition Sheher, Prakriti, Devi, which Gauri Gill has curated. Moderated by media and culture theorist Rashmi [... more]
Free
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A second evening of top Francophone comedy with Nassim Mellah, Benito, and Malcolm & Syphax. There's drinks and nibbles at 6.30pm, the show starts at 7pm. AF members pay AED 100, the rest of us AED 125.
AED 125
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Award-winning comedian, actor and writer from London with a load of style, a Spirit of the (Edinburgh) Fringe Award for 2022, a distinctive voice (he's the worldwide voice of Pintrest, among others), and a neat line in wit for tech [... more]
From AED 125
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The elegant French mezzo-soprano is joined on piano by Ina Charuashvili for the latest in this series of recitals for the Global Notes series, a programme curated by Amira Fouad that features young stars from around the world with a [... more]
tbc
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9 events,
Dubai Opera's Film Music Week continues with a screening of the first instalment of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, accompanied by live music from the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and Dubai Festival Chorus, conducted by Anthony Gabriele. Hans Zimmer's [... more]
From AED 275
Dubai’s newest independent bookstore and cultural centre, Kutubna Cultural Center, is opening with Dr Rana AlMutawa’s first solo exhibition in Dubai – an exhibition of images from her book Everyday Life in the Spectacular City: Making home in Dubai. It’s [... more]
Free
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The final Abu Dhabi performance for this exuberant take on Swan Lake (with a hint of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling) that mixes the enchantment of the ballet with the thrill of the circus. Australia's Circa Contemporary Circus is [... more]
AED 155
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The second evening of Alserkal Avenue's pop up food festival involving the Avenue's own F&B outlets and a mass of invited incomers. Should be fun, with DJ music including The Flip Side’s Shadi Megallaa.
Free
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The book group discusses what is arguably Morrison's finest literary work, a multi-layered attempt to give voice to the collective memory of African Americans that also explores notions of family, trauma, the repression of memory, and of course the restoration [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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Third evening (of three) for this top gig of Francophone comedy with Nassim Mellah, Benito, and Malcolm & Syphax. There's drinks and nibbles at 6.30pm, the show starts at 7pm. AF members pay AED 100, the rest of us AED [... more]
AED 125
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The distinctive stand-up style of America's first Muslim female comedian (probably) and (definitely) the funniest. Comedian, writer, actress, tap dancer, and disability advocate Maysoon Zayid delivers a humorous and heartwarming tale of beating the odds in so many ways ... [... more]
From AED 125
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4 events,
—
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 [... more]
Free but donations welcome
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A celebration of Charlie Chaplin's Day today in the form of a live cine-concert, the last in Dubai Opera's Film Week series: Chaplin's silent movie classic from 1921 is accompanied by the full Armenian Symphony Orchestra conducted by Timothy Brock. [... more]
From AED 275
|
3 events,
—
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. Here's pop and indie band Talkintoys, formed in 2018 in the UAE [... more]
AED 80
|
5 events,A solo exhibition show for a magpie favourite. Salomé Chatriot's work merges technology with organic elements to suggest a harmony between human and machine, advocating for a future where technology and humanity coexist. There's no pessimism about technological progress, just [... more]
Free
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This should be an impressive performance in The Arts Center's Red Theater: two virtuosos of the piano – Eteri Andjaparidze (Professor of Piano at NYUNY) and Ioannis Potamousis (NYUAD Professor of Piano) – come together for recital programme featuring solo [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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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 [... more]
Free but donations welcome
|
9 events,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 [... more]
Free
For her first solo exhibition, the culmination of the artist's participation in the 2024 cycle of the 421 Artistic Development Program, Ayyash presents a collaborative video piece focusing on small body movements. Created with a group of actors, dancers, and [... more]
Free
Marking the third year of collaboration and an expanded partnership between 421 Arts Campus and NYUAD, this exhibition of work by students completing the two-year Master of Fine Arts in Art and Media at NYUAD showcases research and experimentation by [... more]
Free
Rivieren's second solo show at Custot is a continuation of his previous exhibition, Natural Sublime, featuring new organic forms and new production processes On show are 14 new and existing works; "through recognisable and nostalgic organic shapes, we find ourselves [... more]
Free
Kencut's first solo show in the Middle East explores personal challenge and transformation, described by the gallery as "a pivotal moment in Kencut's artistic journey— a deliberate pivot from external inspirations to an introspective examination of the struggles that define [... more]
Free
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A rare chance to catch the Swiss 'cellocomedy' duo outside Europe. Alain Schudel and Daniel Schaerer are excellent cellists in their own right, but on the stage with pieces by the likes of Mozart, Strauss, Holst and David Bowie (ok, [... more]
AED 50
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This workshop, led by the Guatemalan artist and art therapist Emilie Dubois, promises "a transformative journey towards self-discovery and emotional expression" based on colour mapping – participants assign vibrant colours to elements that bring them joy, "visually mapping their sources [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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6 events,"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, [... more]
Free
A solo exhibition for the London-based artist that draws inspiration from Buhais Geology Park and Jebel Buhais archaeological site in Al Madam. Neelova's sculptures, crafted from a variety of materials including glass, clay, and fossilized shark teeth, offer a speculative [... more]
Free
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Abu Dhabi's very own a cappella group take on Motown with the aid of The Retromaniacs Band and a buffet dinner. Should be good ... Tickets are AED 200 for members, AED 220 for the rest of us; they're available [... more]
Non-members AED 220
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A quite brilliant full-length animated comedy, largely dialogue-free (though this version is in French with English subtitles: it was released in the UK as Belleville Rendezvous) about an elderly woman on a quest to rescue her grandson, a Tour de [... more]
Free
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8 events,
This online-only Christie’s sale takes place 9-23 May but includes a selection of the works in an exhibition at its DIFC base between 18 and 23 May (10am to 7pm each day). We don't know exactly what will be on [... more]
Free
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Love this idea – breakfast coffee with a side of family-friendly comedy and games. This Abu Dhabi Comedy Week gig will be hosted by fan-favourite Adi Thomas and features stand-up with Nadim and Josh, musical comedy with Valentina, and “comedy [... more]
Free with purchase
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The second in a series of playwriting workshop for writers, artists and performers. Playwright and artist Rebecca Crookshank invites participants to create a scene structured around the rituals of a dinner; "through playful experimentation building on the shared celebration of [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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Improvisation is the art of thinking on your feet, and while it’s an essential tool for performers who get involved with audience interaction it’s useful more generally for verbal and physical communication and team collaboration. This workshop, billed as part [... more]
AED 50
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A second fun evening for entertainment from Abu Dhabi's very own a cappella group with The Retromaniacs Band plus a buffet dinner. Tickets are AED 200 for members, AED 220 for the rest of us; they're available at The Club [... more]
Non-members AED 220
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The award-winning actor, director, writer, and comedian is so much more than the Parks and Recreation character he shed nearly ten years ago; much more indicative of his current style is the Netflix series Master of None (2015–2021) that he [... more]
From AED 250
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8 events,
—
“Raw, real and hilarious” live podcasts, hosted by top local comedian Ali Al Sayed with guests as a contribution to Abu Dhabi Comedy Week. Free to attend, but you need to pre-register (if you can’t get into this one there [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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You can't fault the Junction's resident H72 theatre company for lack of ambition; Othello is an expansive play, full of big characters and demanding powerful acting to deliver Shakespeare's tale of jealousy, interpersonal politics and social commentary. We know little [... more]
AED 120
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Bollywood Sufi from the pride of Rajasthan and his ensemble. Featuring “the finest musicians on an assortment of traditional instruments such as the dholak, harmonium, kartal, kamaycha, sarangi, morchang, bhapang, matka, tambura, bansuri as well as keyboard and saxophone”, we’re [... more]
From AED 150
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Two of Britain’s best standups share this Abu Dhabi Comedy Week with a "special guest". The men are both established, both very funny, and both get less attention than they deserve; Tiernan is everything you want from a droll Irish [... more]
From AED 345
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The Yemeni/American standup is coming to Abu Dhabi for Comedy Week. He’s good, and though his improv and TikTok and Instagram shorts have been a viral hit he deserves a wider audience for his way with anecdotes and “jokes about [... more]
AED 150
|
5 events,
—
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 [... more]
Free but donations welcome
—
The Emirates Palace’s Auditorium has been repurposed as a Broadway theatre for this “unmissable comedy lineup” as the blurb puts it. It’s an Abu Dhabi Comedy Week evening with five standups (“legends”? Well, maybe) that come from or have a [... more]
AED 290
|
8 events,
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An important documentary: Reyhaneh Jabbari was a female student in Tehran who was hanged for murder, but she had acted in self-defence against a rapist. She would have received a pardon and a short jail term if she had retracted [... more]
AED 30
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Comedians Andrew Santino and Bobby Lee are touring their hit podcast Bad Friends, which showcases the dynamic and sometimes “contentious” relationship between the two. This gig is part of Abu Dhabi Comedy Week.
From AED 175
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A second chance to catch this “unmissable comedy lineup” as the blurb puts it. It’s an Abu Dhabi Comedy Week evening with five standups (“legends”? Well, maybe) that come from or have a connection with New York City – so [... more]
AED 290
—
The popular Lebanese comic stops off in Abu Dhabi for a one-night-only special in Abu Dhabi Comedy Week as part of a world tour. The show’s in Arabic (specifically Lebanese Arabic).
From AED 150
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In this quite surprising supernatural drama, a man fed up with the chains of his humdrum life lashes out only to discover he possesses a logic-defying gift – the power to fly. The film departs from the director’s previous social [... more]
AED 30
|
8 events,The Jameel's Library Circles is a series of research, talks, and experimental interventions by UAE practitioners that offers alternative research methodologies with a focus on 'thinking in public'. For this iteration, Azza Aboualam – an Assistant Professor at Zayed University [... more]
Free
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A road buddy comedy with a twist or two, wry humour throughout, gorgeous camerawork, and an all-pervading good sense of humanity and absurdity. Two petty crooks, Mehdi and Hamid, drive around the villages of southern Morocco, trying to recover a [... more]
AED 30
—
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 [... more]
Free but donations welcome
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New York native and internationally touring stand-up comic and podcaster, Schulz is known for his raw and irreverent comedy. He claims nothing is off limits, so this should make for an interesting gig as part of Abu Dhabi Comedy Week.
From AED 250
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Beautiful but troubled, 23-year-old Donya finds her promoted to writing the mantras inside fortune cookies because the wise owner of the factory believes that people with memories write beautifully. Donya, an Afghan refugee with PTSD, Donya already has memories aplenty [... more]
AED 30
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10 events,
A group show by three artists from Karakalpakstan, an autonomous area of Uzbekistan: Bakhtiyar Serekeyev, Timur Shardimetov and Salomat Babajanov. "They introduced the rebellious spirit of expressionism and uninhibited painting into local art, which was very traditional in themes and [... more]
Free
This group exhibition, curated by Lucas Morin, highlights unexpectedly interconnected geographies, resources and commodities, moving between land and sea to tell stories of conflict, erosion and extraction; it's based on works from the Art Jameel Collection plus loans and new [... more]
Free
A group show by five artists from Sierra Leone – Hawa-Jane Bangura, Hickmatu Leigh, Julius Parker, Felix Rhodes, Zahra Fakih Zato. To 22 June.
Free
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The jailed Iranian director Jafar Panahi plays a version of himself, forced to shoot his new film in a village near the Turkish border whose inhabitants are encouraged to be scared of supposed “bears” roaming the countryside – just as [... more]
AED 30
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The Emmy-winning comedian brings his distinctive brand of comedy to the Etihad Arena for Abu Dhabi Comedy Week, his only gig in the region.
From AED 280
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Classic Feydeau farce (actually co-written with Maurice Desvallières). It's set in a notorious hotel, with a motley group of guests entering and exiting rooms that are only sometimes the right ones ... Lies and misunderstandings, frustrations and lack of luck [... more]
AED 110
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This drama, Gamal’s second feature, is based on a true story: Isra’a and Ahmed and their five children are engaged in a daily struggle against poverty in war-torn Yemen. When they discover that Isra’a is pregnant, they scrape together the [... more]
AED 30
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9 events,An exhibition that aims to demonstrate the power of digital art to break spatial, temporal and generational borders, "creating synergies between different audiences and making art not only timeless, but also universal, close and understandable". It features work by Bakkali [... more]
Free
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From their makeshift bird hospital in their tiny basement, two brothers -- Mohammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad – try to care for thousands of the black kites that struggle in New Delhi's smog-choked skies. As environmental toxicity and civil unrest [... more]
AED 30
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Fourteen-year-old Zeina lives with her mother and father in Damascus, one of the few remaining families in a devastated neighbourhood. Covert visits from a local boy offer Zeina glimpses of freedom outside the oppressive control of her father – but [... more]
AED 30
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The Egyptian surgeon-turned-satirist Bassem Youssef and the American comedian-turned-actor Maz Jobrani actually make a good double act, as seen/heard on various podcasts, chat shows and interviews, though for this Abu Dhabi Comedy Week we’d expect them to be doing successive [... more]
From AED 250
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A second show for this Feydeau farce set in a notorious hotel, with a motley group of guests entering and exiting rooms that are only sometimes the right ones ... Performed by students of Culture Emulsion's Dubai-based drama school as [... more]
AED 110
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A cocktail reception (8-8.30pm) followed by a recital from two artists who have been a hit in the Classical talents series – pianist Magdalena Wajdzik and harpist Erdinç Komsu. They will be performing works by Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Debussy and Hasselmans. [... more]
AED 130
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Mona is a retired singer in a tense marriage in Northern Sudan. Wracked by guilt after covering up a murder, she tries to make amends by taking in the dead man’s southern Sudanese widow, Julia, and her son, Daniel. Mona [... more]
AED 30
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15 events,A solo exhibition with examples of many of the disciplines and media that made up Koraïchi's practice, all "showcasing his abiding fascination with the creation of deeply layered seams within the spiritual, political and intellectual". Koraïchi often speaks of belonging [... more]
Free
It's a pleasure to find an artist who is prepared to expand on their principles, and to do with Zhivago Duncan's level of articulation. "Within this new collection," writes Duncan, "I have endeavoured to distill the complexity of ideas and [... more] 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 [... more]
Free
The first-ever solo exhibition for artist, architect and researcher Dima Srouji, whose work acts as a form of political commentary and as a place-making (or un-making) tool – "Interested in the ground, objects, displacement, restitution, forgeries, and living archives, the [... more]
Free
The title of this exhibition evokes a notion that originates from the world of the moving image. Key frames are those that define a scene in a film; they set its starting as well as ending point, they are typically [... more]
Free
An afternoon of films, some full-length and some shorts, for a single price (AED 50) as part of the sixth edition of the Manarat’s CinemaMAS film festival. (Individual films on weekdays are AED 30 per head, and there’s an all-inclusive [... more]
AED 30
The final afternoon of films in the sixth edition of the Manarat’s CinemaMAS film festival; there's a single price (AED 50) for the whole programme. (Individual films on weekdays are AED 30 per head, and there’s an all-inclusive ticket at [... more]
AED 30
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We like the idea of comedy with brunch (the price doesn’t include any food and drink, of course) and these two South Africans should be a pretty tasty addition to Abu Dhabi Comedy Week. Robby Collins is a hard-working comedian [... more]
AED 125
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A second improv workshop, billed as part of Abu Dhabi Comedy Week, that focuses on the nuts and bolts of improvisational comedy, short-form games, and exercises you can take away; it’s open to all levels (min age 15) and is [... more]
AED 50
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A second chance to sit in on what's promised to be a "raw, real and hilarious" live podcast, hosted by top local comedian Ali Al Sayed with guests as a contribution to Abu Dhabi Comedy Week. Free to attend, but [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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The American actor/comedian/writer is one of the biggest names in the comedy tour business – this current tour is visiting more than 40 cities worldwide, and this gig for Abu Dhabi Comedy Week falls somewhere in the middle of the [... more]
From AED 195
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Panic blows through a burlesque cabaret when the star artists discover the assassination of their boss. Sassy or down to earth, rebellious or naive, or even mothers with psychopathic tendencies, they decide to carry out the investigation – in their [... more]
AED 110
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Pinoy standup for Abu Dhabi Comedy Week from Ahmed Kasid, Joshua-John Dias and the ever-reliable Imah Dumagay.
AED 95
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11 events,A group show, curated by Mara Firetti, Ali Cha'aban and Celine Azem and featuring Aidha Badr, ARE Studios, Ghaleb Hawila, Jason Seife, Khalid Zahid, Salmah Al-Mansoori and Sawsan Al Bahar. The exhibition explores the mythology of where the oral culture [... more]
Free
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A show from the popular kids entertainer as part of Abu Dhabi Comedy Week. Slightly disappointing that this is pitched as a family-friendly gig with one price for all – there are no reduced-price tickets for kids.
AED 125
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Last chance to sit in on what's promised to be a "raw, real and hilarious" live podcast, hosted by top local comedian Ali Al Sayed with guests as a contribution to Abu Dhabi Comedy Week.
Free, but pre-register
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An open invitation to all performing artists, creatives, and curious individuals looking to explore movement practices: participants will explore performance exercises such as contact improvisation, breath work, acting warm-ups, games, and techniques. Each session will introduce new and unique exercises [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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Two top women standups with real American sass – Liccione from New York via Dubai, Williams (“known as The Beautiful Beast”) from LA. Expect a woman’s point of view with no holds barred from this Abu Dhabi Comedy Week gig [... more]
From AED AED 150
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Top Filipino-American comic with a nice line in impersonations, anecdotes, and witty commentary on life (mainly his) and his colourful family. This gig is part of Abu Dhabi Comedy Week.
From AED 180
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A second performance of this comic thriller by students of Culture Emulsion's Dubai-based drama school as part of its annual Tous en Scène festival of Francophone theatre.
AED 110
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Tucker may have transitioned successfully into Hollywood hits like the Rush Hour franchise, but he hasn’t lost any of the energy and slick timing that distinguish his comedy specials. He gets the late spot (following Tom Segura) in this Abu [... more]
From AED 250
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Desi-American comic Akaash Singh shares this Abu Dhabi Comedy Week bill with local Desi comedians Saaniya Abaas, Miqdaad Dohadwala and Yash Bhardwaj. “If you’re easily offended, maybe don’t come to this one.” say the organisers …
From AED 150
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5 events,A group exhibition curated by Faridah Folawiyo, showcasing artists of African origin across the world and examining how artists from Africa and the diaspora see the restrictive concepts of Eurocentric cultural superiority. The show aims to stretch audiences’ limits and [... more]
Free
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 [... more]
Free
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Prior to his Arts Center show tomorrow, the fiercely independent hip hop artist Oddisee will lead a talk in the NYUAD Gallery Reading Room that focuses on the DIY entrepreneurial approach to building his career – instead of pursuing record [... more]
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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 [... more]
Free but donations welcome
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3 events,"Amidst the unsettled times of an uprising in Iran, grappling with uncertainties, sadness, and paradoxes, artist Amir Khojasteh sought solace in his studio and tried to make sense of what was happening ... In this topsy-turvy world, the artist persisted [... more]
Free
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A rare chance to see an unusual, indeed exceptional hip hop artist at work. Oddisee has always ploughed his own furrow – making his own music for the last 20 years and running his own label now, avoiding the temptations [... more]
AED 105
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The regular Alliance Française ciné-apéro evening (a glass of wine and canapés before the screening) this month features Desclou's psychological/political thriller; a young couple with political aspirations more or less accidentally kill a violent driver on a remote country road. [... more]
AED 45
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3 events,
“If the bee disappears from the surface of the Earth," said Albert Einstein, "man would have no more than four years left to live". Well, all over the world bees have been dying for the past few years. Although the [... more]
Free, but pre-register
The best ever concert film? Certain one of the best; and one of the best suits, too ... Jonathan Demme captured the energy and artsy groove of David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison at their best. Shot [... more]
Free
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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 [... more]
Free but donations welcome
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6 events,A collection of abstract figurative works on canvas, "inviting viewers into a realm of recognition and constant metamorphosis ... Each 190 x 120cm canvas serves as a conduit for Miramar's endeavour to encapsulate the essence of the natural formations of [... more]
Free
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BFAF's art history lecture programme continues with art historian and researcher Maryam Jalali, who will explore how Eastern motifs and styles were romanticised in Western design from the 18th to the early 20th centuries. Right: Fabio Fabbi, Women Resting on [... more]
Free, but pre-register
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A reprise of Culture Emulsion's careful and effective treatment of the Vagina Monologues; the dramatist Eve Ensler based her text on more than 200 interviews with women who confided their sensations, their traumas, their aspirations, their anxieties, their joys … [... more]
AED 110
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One of the most consistently funny of the Courtyard's classic improv gigs is back after a couple of months' hiatus: the speakers have to give a presentation on a slide deck they’ve never seen before, with the topic determined at [... more]
Free, but donations welcome
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5 events,A solo show for the French-born LA-based street artist who started filming graffiti art and subsequently became an artist in his own right after an off-hand suggestion from Banksy. As it happens, many of the 10 works on show here [... more]
Free
A duo exhibition for Emirati artist Mohamed Yousif and Kenyan sculptor Maggie Otieno that "celebrates the grounded connections between the practices of the two artists and the cross-cultural exchange between the Middle East and Africa". Or as curator Shamma Al [... more]
Free
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Ninety minutes of unplanned improv, performed (in French, of course) by students of Culture Emulsion's Dubai-based drama school as part of its annual Tous en Scène festival of Francophone theatre.
AED 110
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An Arab World Premiere for Ballet Hispánico, the largest Hispanic cultural organisation in the States. The company (and subsequently its associated School of Dance and Community Arts Partnerships) was founded in 1970 to challenging stereotypes and demonstrate the joy and [... more]
From AED 100
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Hans Zimmer is probably best known for some of the most listened-to soundtracks in the history of cinema – The Lion King, Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Dark Knight, Dune - but his live show is also pretty special. [... more]
From AED299
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6 events,Riffing on the interwoven relationship between cities, the natural environment and the sacred, this show presents work by 12 artists and collectives working across diverse contexts of urban, rural, domestic, communitarian, public and non-material spaces. In this show are works [... more]
Free
A short exhibition of work by the Scottish Mawaheb artist, his first solo show. To 6 June.
Free
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A stage version of Michel Audiard's screenplay. Former mobster Fernand is living a quiet life, but things change when a dying friend asks him to take care of both his daughter and his shady business ... Gripping stuff. Performed (in [... more]
AED 110
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A second and final Abu Dhabi performance for Ballet Hispánico, the largest Hispanic cultural organisation in the States. The company (and subsequently its associated School of Dance and Community Arts Partnerships) was founded in 1970 to challenging stereotypes and demonstrate [... more]
From AED 100
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An update of the show he did at this venue a month or two ago; Shawn Chidiac, aka ‘My Parents are Divorced', is doing this chat-plus-comedy evening once a month at VOX Cinemas Mercato Mall until the end of the [... more]
AED 175
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The second of two spectacular shows where the multi-instrumentalist composer Hans Zimmer recreates some of his exceptional film scores – The Lion King, Gladiator, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Dark Knight, Dune – arranged for live performance with a large [... more]
From AED299
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