Love for musicals unites community
MTDXB is a family of 50 like-minded expats with similar interests, passions
We have created a community in the truest sense of the word and have developed friendships that will last a lifetime.”
TJames Mitchinson | MTDXB co-founder
he love for stage musicals post-pandemic has strung together a vibrant community in Dubai. Called MTDXB, which is all set to stage The Addams Family, its fifth show since its inception, the highly talented group of people come from different backgrounds but share a common interest in musical theatre.
Brian Fletcher, a community member, said it all started when a British expat couple, James and Bethanie Mitchinson, along with their mutual friend, Sarah Jordan, floated the idea of a new stage musical community in 2021. This followed a realisation during the pandemic that the musical theatre genre was grossly under-represented in the city.
An idea and an FB post
“They put up a post on Facebook and it generated a great response with around 20 people coming together at the time. Today, we have grown into an oversized family of around 50 people, with Ralph [son of the Mitchinsons], who is a few months old, being our youngest member,” said Fletcher.
“Now we have a chance to make new friends, socialise and have fun, on and off the stage,” said Fletcher, who along with his wife Clare came to Dubai in 2016.
“We are really proud of how MTDXB has connected so many people and created opportunities for them to perform musical theatre in the region, something sadly that is extremely rare. We have created a community in the truest sense of the word and have developed friendships that will last a lifetime,” said James Mitchinson.
Diverse group
Though a large number of the expats in the group come from the UK, some are from other countries too. They comprise singers, performers, musicians, dancers, lighting and sound technicians
The group has put together four shows: A Night at the Musical, Everybody’s Talking about MTDXB, Return to the Musicals with MTDXB and a Christmas Concert.
Upcoming show
The upcoming Addam’s Family will be held in partnership with KPS at Sunmarke School Auditorium, Jumeirah Village Triangle on May 31 (corporate performance), and for the public on June 1, 2 (7.30pm) and June 3 (2.30pm and 7.30pm). Fifty pairs of free tickets will be given away by KPS for the May 31 premiere.
“We are a good bunch of people with similar values and interests and have built a strong network of support for ourselves through this community,” said Fletcher.