Location matters for Dubai’s theatre scene
Last weekend, the only thing that was being talked about on my social media timeline and life beyond that was the news that Ductac (Dubai Community Theatre & Arts Centre) is leaving its home of over 11 years and relocating to a different part of the emirate. Actors, writers, presenters, comedians, and artists at large were heartbroken with the news.
On March 29, Ductac made an announcement on its Facebook page: “Ductac is relocating to City Centre Mirdif in September 2018. Our last day in our current location is set to be on June 30, 2018.” The Old Library, located in the same premise for the last ten years, too shared that they were looking for a new home for the books.
A local stand-up comedian Salman Z Qureshi wrote, “I’m so SAD about the upcoming closure of Ductac . It just reminds me that this is not the city for artists. Reminds me of all the red tape I’ve faced and continue to face anytime I’ve tried building something here.”
Rosine Saad, a writer-director-actor, wrote, “It was a nice little corner, like a hidden gem in the belly of a shopping monster ... no more. The shopping monster wins. Yes, it’s moving to a ‘better & bigger’ location — hopefully — but some ‘places’ are ‘places’, in our hearts and minds. I will miss taking the turn at the nails shop, crossing the bathroom doors with a little smile under my breath, as if I know what these people don’t know — and I did — walking the secret passage to the hidden garden with that feeling of emerging into Diagon Alley, or Narnia, or my own magical land, only initiated people know about. I will miss the ‘Costa Office’!”
Asad Raza Khan, another local actor-writer-director, shared, “Art is not created by venues, but created by people passionate about it. Although, it is sad that Ductac shuts its doors, yet the community and talent around are the best it has ever been. So, let us continue to inspire one another, create, and entertain! Power to all of YOU and to the people who come support and watch you/us.”
Of course, it led to a debate on does Dubai need more retail space than a platform for arts? And for many of us who’d either performed at the venue or
But then, art can’t be defined by an address. Right? In fact, it is said that art dies a slow death if it doesn’t move, every now and then
watched a performance come alive on that stage, the news brought back many memories. I was less than two months old in Dubai when I’d attended my first show there and I have kept returning since then. Over the years, I heard many say, “It’s not easy to find Ductac !” And then watched them taking pride in knowing how to reach there — park at the right spot and you can walk in straight to the venue. Or be alert and look for the tiny signage, manoeuver your way through the washrooms, and find yourself in the heart of arts! I, too, became one of those people, who were proud of their connection with that space.
It was in Ductac that I took my debut book for an outing. I’d read excerpts from the book to an audience full of strangers (Have a Word) and taken home the encouragement to finish the manuscript. It was at Ductac that I’d felt a lump in my throat as Indian actors Shekhar Suman and Deepti Naval brought alive the untold love story (Ek Mulaqaat) of poets Sahir Ludhianvi and Amrita Pritam. Last month, when the news of Pyarelal Wadali’s passing away reached me, I got goosebumps for it was at Ductac a couple of months ago that we’d watched the Wadali Brothers perform live. It was on this platform that the local artistic director Liz Hadaway had presented a production (Romeo+Juliet) in an immersive promenadetheatre style.
Ductac has indeed seen many firsts and now lasts. It has been home to the professionals and amateurs, to the young and old. For many of us, artists, it’s been our weekend getaway. It will always be the place where we got a chance to watch our idols perform. We will we miss the green room, the staircase, and the Costa Coffee. But then, art can’t be defined by an address. Right? In fact, it is said that art dies a slow death if it doesn’t move, every now and then. And in this case, the curtains are not closing, they’ve just found a new address. It’s a goodbye, but it’s also a chance to meet at the starting line, yet again.
purva@khaleejtimes.com