The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi presents Arabic adaption of Duncan Macmillan’s play Every Brilliant Thing directed by Ahmed El Attar
The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) will bring an Arabic interpretation of Duncan Macmillan’s international sensation Every Brilliant Thing to UAE audiences on Wednesday and Friday, 1 and 3 May, at 7.30pm in The Black Box.
Adapted and directed by acclaimed Egyptian theater director and playwright, and artistic director to go Cairo’s DCAF festival, Ahmed El Attar, Every Brilliant Thing will feature Nanda Mohammad in a play about all the things that make life worth living.
The interactive play will offer a unique experience for attendees on May 1 and 3 as part of a wider program that showcases contemporary European theater in Arabic, with simultaneous English translations
The two performances will be complemented by an introduction to actor training workshop and an insightful artist talk on the importance of translation in developing contemporary Arabic theater
Attendees will see the Syrian actress seated alone on an empty stage with only a minimal set, accessories, and music, as they experience an hour of life and humor that explores the theme of mental health.
Mohammad will have the challenging task of balancing the storyline with the energies of the audience, who are invited to participate and even improvise during the show. The play will be performed in Arabic with simultaneous English translations, allowing for a unique experience from show to show.
Executive Artistic Director at The Arts Center at NYUAD Bill Bragin commented: “The best way I can describe Ahmed El Attar’s re-imagination in Arabic of Duncan Macmillan’s globally acclaimed theatrical play is by paraphrasing its title: “everything about it is brilliant”.
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“It’s an insightful and inventive meeting point of Western and Arabic theater, paired with a practical acting workshop and inspiring talks by experts. This combination makes it a remarkable and rewarding experience for participants and an important contribution to the development of Arabic language theater in the UAE.”
Associate Director Artistic Planning at NYUAD, Reem Allam, added: “Through witty humour, the play allows us to tackle some of the serious mental health issues of our generation.
“Mohammad’s powerful interactive performance and El Attar’s brilliant adaptation creates such a memorable moving experience that you will leave with a heart fuller than when you first walked through the door.”
Originally published in the UK in 2013, Every Brilliant Thing made headlines globally and was translated into Arabic by Ahmed El Attar, as part of a bigger project: Theatre in translation – contemporary European theater in Arabic aiming to translate 24 contemporary plays by European playwrights to Arabic.
Just a few days ahead of the show, on Sunday 28 April, El Attar will lead a four-hour long practical acting workshop.
His method draws from French theater director and visual artist Jean Michel Bruyère dating back thirty years and is based on improvisation exercises that increase the awareness of the actor’s tools by dissecting and developing them, allowing the actor to use these techniques fully while building a character.
Participants will tackle the paradox of the actor, learning how to create a character that is at the same time real but not a cliché, a character that clearly carries their spirit but that is not them, and a character that is identifiable by the audience but is also unique.
Following the workshop, on Tuesday 30 April, Ahmed El Attar will join fellow Egyptian theater director and playwright Laila Soliman, currently visiting faculty at NYU Abu Dhabi, to discuss his thirty years of practice in Egypt and across the world, as well as his latest project: contemporary European theater in translation.
He will talk about his career as an international theater maker and the importance of his various projects in the development of the performing arts in Egypt and across the Arab world.
On 1 May, attendees will also have the opportunity to engage with the artists during a post-show Q&A session moderated by Abhishek Mujamdar, Program Head, Theater; Associate Arts Professor of Theater at NYU Abu Dhabi.
For further information, visit NYU Abu Dhabi The Arts Center
Event: Workshop: An Introduction to Actor Training with Ahmed El Attar
Date: Sunday, 28 April, 2 to 6pm.
Location: The Arts Center
Event: Artist Talk: Ahmed El Attar in conversation with Laila Soliman
Date: Tuesday, 30 April, 6.30pm.
Location: The NYUAD Gallery Reading Room
Event: Every Brilliant Thing – Ahmed El Attar
Date: Wednesday and Friday, 1 and 3 May
Location: The Black Box
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