Short+Sweet Abu Dhabi 2019

Theater

Friday & Saturday, Jan 25 & 26 @ 7:30pm

The Black Box

Past Event

Welcome to the world of Short+Sweet. A more creative world – ten-minutes at a time!

Presenting the 4th annual Abu Dhabi edition. The Short+Sweet festival started in Sydney 15 years ago. Since then it has spread across the globe and is now in nine countries and over 28 cities. Short+Sweet arrived in the UAE in 2013, and has blossomed ever since. See this year’s lineup below.

Each year Short+Sweet worldwide presents around 500 ten-minute plays, utilizing the talents of the best locally-based young and established directors, actors, and technical personnel.

Each festival has three aims:

To develop the artistry and craft of acting, directing, writing, and other forms of theater-making.
To showcase ten-minute performances and to create a platform for artists’ telling stories.
To create excellence – to stimulate and entertain audiences.

This year’s Abu Dhabi festival promises to be their best yet. The Top 12 plays encompass many genres, including Short + Sweet’s first all-Emirati production.

“Short+Sweet provides a wonderful opportunity for people to give writing, directing or acting a go… whether you’re an experienced theatre practitioner or new to the world of theatre.” – Zakaia Cvitanovich, festival director, Short+Sweet Abu Dhabi 2019

Short+Sweet Abu Dhabi 2019 Lineup

Shakespeare – A Totally Modern Teenager

Company: Raha International School
Writer: Ellen Abraham-Williams (UK)
Director: Baran Basimi
The thought of studying Romeo and Juliet was daunting for Miss Noris’ middle-graders but with a bit of imagination, using their favourite film characters, the students find a way to spice up the play in unusual ways.

Red Wire Blue Wire

Company: Beyond the Veil
Writer: Albert Jamae (Australia)
Director: Elsa Pottier
Trish has a bomb attached to her. Marty, bomb squad officer is confident he can fix it, but then they recognize each other…

The Panel

Writer: Najwa Yassir (Canada/Palestine)
Director: Najwa Yassir
An idealist, a cynic, an opportunist, and a poet discuss women’s issues. What could possibly go wrong?

The Portuguese Riding Lesson

Company: Cold Coffee Theatre Co.
Writer: Stewart Lemoine (Canada)
Director: Stephen Delano
A man meets a woman in a dark alleyway and quickly learns she has a very important story to tell…

Gecko

Company: Beyond the Veil
Writer: Ahmad Hasan
Director: Ahmad Hasan
A depressed young man faces the voices of his conscience.

Nanny Adjacent

Company: UpStage Entertainment
Writer: Wayne Dorsey (USA)
Director: Suffering from empty nest syndrome, a couple embarks on a mission to fill the void in the lives left behind, but they may get more than they bargained for.

Monster

Company: Beyond the Veil
Writer: Andrzej Wawrowski (UK/Poland)
Director: Ellen Abraham-Williams
When he reluctantly opens his front door, Dan doesn’t expect to find himself being drawn into rescuing a stranger from the danger that lurks outside. It soon become clear that Millie isn’t the only one who needs to be rescued.

Red is the Blood of the People

Company: The Collective
Writer: Tzy Jiun Tan (Malaysia)
Director: Ethan David Lee
Reopening the wounds of colonial trauma is needed to understand how power continues to operate in historical narratives and why the ghosts of our ancestors continue to haunt us.

The Containment

Company: Beyond the Veil
Writer: George Hamilton (Abu Dhabi) Director: George Hamilton
A husband and a wife, struggling to have a peaceful life together. Will they be able to save their marriage despite all of their differences?

The PM Widow: HOPING for a Bigger Pay- Day

Company: UpStage Entertainment
Writer: Tashia Dorsey (USA)
Director: Tashia Dorsey
Nightly talk show host and life coach guru PM WIDOW is at it again. In this episode of PM 2Nite, she adds a comedic twist to her talk show.

I Do You Die

Writer: Carrie McCrossen (New York)
Director: Olivia Bray
A husband and wife attempt to answer the question, which of us would win in a fight to the death? This playful argument quickly gets ugly…

The Polygamist

Company: Beyond the Veil
Writer: Briden Ni Airneada (Abu Dhabi)
Director: Angeleene Abraham
What will it take to satisfy one? Why can’t we see through the fog? How will we break the shackles? When will we be free?