Short + Sweet

Plays, encompassing every genre imaginable, will be staged over two days. In addition to the actors and directors being UAE-based, many of the plays being staged have been written by members of the capital’s theatre scene. Further details on the specifics of each play will be release closer to the time.

Short+Sweet began in Sydney in 2002 and in just over a decade has grown to seven countries and over 23 cities, with festivals held in Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, India, the Philippines, the UAE and now in Hollywood! Dubai was the only place within the GCC to host Short+Sweet, however, with the burgeoning theatrical activity in Abu Dhabi, spearheaded by groups such as Beyond the Veil, Resuscitation Theatre and Upstage Entertainment for example, there was a call for Short+Sweet’s short-form theatre platform to expand to the capital.

Says Zakaia Cvitanovich, Festival Director of Short+Sweet Abu Dhabi 2017, “The inaugural festival in Abu Dhabi cultivated local talent, in terms of writers, directors and actors, and this year we’re hoping to take that even further. We’ll have new faces involved from the wealth of talent that’s here in the capital, including Emirati talent.” Alex Broun, world-leading 10- minute playwright, believes that “Short+Sweet Abu Dhabi will be the start of international careers for some of these people, and the development of a high quality theatre scene for audiences.”