As it enters its second decade, The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) has unveiled its Season 11 program – a vibrant, thought-provoking series of performances that celebrate history, identity, and the shared experiences of global communities. Recognized as a world-class performing arts venue rooted in the UAE, The Arts Center continues to champion voices from the MENASA region and beyond, while deepening its role as an incubator of creativity, scholarship, and collaboration.
With the theme Stories of Our Communities, inspired by the UAE’s Year of Community, Season 11 invites audiences to explore heritage, memory, and transformation through an interdisciplinary lens. Featuring theater, dance, music, and multimedia, the season reflects The Arts Center’s commitment to cultural dialog and the power of the arts to bring people together – both on and off the stage.
Executive Artistic Director at The Arts Center at NYUAD Bill Bragin said, “This season is a confident affirmation of who we are: a performing arts center uniquely of the UAE, shaped by the cultural energy of Saadiyat Island and the intellectual dynamism of NYU Abu Dhabi. As we reflect on our first decade, we’re also looking forward, creating new opportunities for artists and audiences to connect, question, and be inspired. We’re proud to be part of the Year of Community – telling the stories that matter, in ways that resonate locally and globally. We thank our sponsors, Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels and Mubadala for their continued support of our shared journey of discovery.”
Season highlights: opening performances
The season opens with three compelling productions that set the tone for a year of cultural connection and critical engagement. On Friday and Saturday, September 19-20, at 7:30pm, British visual theater maker Benji Reid presents the Arab world premiere of Find Your Eyes. Presented with the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels, the performance blends photography, choreography, and theater to create striking, surreal stage images.
Through the lens of a photographer, Reid explores themes of vulnerability, tragedy, and triumph. His work often interrogates the intersections of race, nationhood, and gender, with particular focus on the Black British experience, Black masculinity, and mental health. This genre-defying performance invites audiences to reflect on how we navigate the highs and lows of life, using stories and images to make sense of our world.
Dear Children, Sincerely…, staged on Friday and Saturday, September 26-27, at 7:30pm, is a poignant collaboration between Sri Lanka’s Stages Theater Group and Rwanda’s Mashirika Performing Arts and Media Company. Directed by acclaimed playwright Ruwanthie de Chickera, the ensemble piece offers a kaleidoscopic journey through the colonial and post-colonial histories of both countries.
Artists from each nation interviewed elders born in the 1930s – individuals who lived through colonization and witnessed its aftermath. These personal testimonies have been transformed into a powerful and moving performance that draws surprising parallels between two countries separated by continents but united by shared experiences.
A bold, contemporary African adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello arrives on Thursday and Friday, October 9-10, at 7:30pm. Directed by the multi-award-winning Lara Foot and presented by Cape Town’s Baxter Theatre Centre, this provocative decolonial reimagining explores Othello’s inner life through an African perspective. Tracing a historical arc from German colonialism to the Herero uprising in German Southwest Africa, and into present-day Namibia, the production confronts the lingering legacies of oppression and racism.
Foot – CEO and Artistic Director of the Baxter Theatre, a former Rolex protégé to Sir Peter Hall, and a Sundance Fellow – infuses the classic tragedy with urgency and resonance. Presented in English, Afrikaans, and isiXhosa with English subtitles, the work also connects with NYUAD’s longstanding academic leadership in Global Shakespeare studies.
Building community through the arts
As part of NYUAD’s distinctive liberal arts mission, The Arts Center serves as a dynamic extension of the classroom. Visiting artists engage directly with students and faculty, offering performances, workshops, and conversations that contribute to experiential learning across disciplines. Through this integration of arts and academics, The Arts Center fosters inquiry, critical reflection, and creativity among the next generation of global citizens.
This finds expression in Off the Stage presented by Mubadala which continues to expand with workshops, career talks and panels, post-performance Q&As and masterclasses by visiting artists. These events offer audiences deeper insight into the ideas behind the performances, while providing valuable development opportunities for students and emerging artists. The full schedule will be shared soon. Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels also continue their support for youth engagement and contemporary dance.
Now entering its 13th season, Rooftop Rhythms remains the Middle East’s longest-running open mic poetry night. Hosted by founder Dorian Paul Rogers, the event brings together emerging and established voices in spoken word, poetry, and music – often accompanied by a live DJ. A vital platform for creative expression in the UAE, Rooftop Rhythms will take place monthly at The Arts Center, with the full schedule to be announced.
Presented in collaboration with the NYUAD Film and New Media program, CinemaNa is a monthly series showcasing groundbreaking films from across the Arab world. Screenings are followed by conversations with the filmmakers – offering a rare opportunity to explore the region’s cinema in depth. Screenings will be held at The Arts Center’s Blue Hall and Red Theater, with dates to be announced.
Bragin added, “What makes The Arts Center special is its deep connection to place – to Abu Dhabi, to NYUAD, and to the diverse communities that call this city home. This season we’re asking audiences to come together, to listen more deeply, and to see themselves reflected in the stories on our stages.”
August & September Events – Season 11
Event: Find Your Eyes – Benji Reid, presented with the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels
Date: Friday, September 19 & Saturday, September 20 at 7:30pm
Venue: The Red Theater, The Arts Center
Visit here for details and tickets
Event: Dear Children, Sincerely... – a collaboration between Stages Theater Group (Sri Lanka) and Mashirika Performing Arts (Rwanda)
Date: Friday, September 26 & Saturday, September 27 at 7:30pm
Venue: The Black Box, The Arts Center
Visit here for details and tickets
Event: Workshop: Storytelling Across Borders with cast members from Dear Children, Sincerely...
Date: Saturday, September 27 at 11:00am
Venue: The Arts Center
Visit here for details and to request an invitation
Event: Shakespeare’s Othello – Directed by Lara Foot, presented by Baxter Theatre Centre
Date: Thursday, October 9 & Friday, October 10 at 7:30pm
Venue: The Red Theater, The Arts Center
Visit here for details and tickets
