Ductac closure marks end of community theatre era

The closure of Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Center (Ductac) marks a huge blow to the arts scene in Dubai, theatre experts have said.
Padraig Downey, founder of Danu theatre group in Dubai, said Ductac has been at the heartbeat of the theatre and arts community for a decade and has been the life and soul of the community.
He said the stage had succeeded in bringing in Emirati and Arabic sell out shows, encouraging some "tremendous talent" and local presence in the art scene.
"It was a community theatre that brought everyone together: Emiratis, Arabs and expats. Its closure is a huge blow to the art scene. Ductac was a venue to talk to children, host workshops, give acting and dancing classes, make friends over coffee," said Downey, who has directed and produced 10 shows at Ductac over the past six years.
The last two of his productions were an Arabic adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's Doll's House and an Arabic Shakespearean "The Hamlet Summit.
Earlier this week, Ductac left residents in shock after announcing the closure of its facilities after revealing that no new premises have been found. "Unfortunately, we were unable to find a suitable location. As a result, we have taken the difficult decision to close our current facilities," the centre's website wrote.
Downey appealed to entrepreneurs to promote art and help in bringing out a new venue to replace Ductac and encourage local talents to shine. Although Dubai has alternative theatre platforms, Downey said Ductac was a more intimate style theatre that had a commercial element to it.
The stage's location in a shopping mall gave it a commercial element that satisfied Dubai's nature. "We got flyers on shows distributed to shoppers and strong social media pages. People had general knowledge about the space."
He said that the closing of Ductac shows that art in the UAE is being left behind. "More support for arts are needed. We have tremendous talent in Dubai that deserves to be encouraged, developed and nourished."
He added: "The arts are important. We represent the city, the country and the people. We deserve a home and it is time to have allocated venues to cultivate and develop local talent."
Kirin Hilliar, a producer and actress who has participated in three shows at Ductac, said the closing highlights how little support the local arts community has.
"It is really sad as local talent can never develop and international talent will have no impetus to move here if that's the attitude. So Ductac closing is emblematic of a larger problem," said Hilliar.
"No large organisation or company stepped in to offer support or a venue, and that's a shame, but shows how little value the arts and culture is given."
She said that now Dubai's few dedicated arts spaces, including The Junction, The Courtyard Playhouse and Madinat Theatre, in a city of three million people is alarming.
"Dubai Opera is yet to put on a locally-produced show," she said.
Echoing similar sentiments was Phil Apaza, performer and producer, who said Ductac is a loss of a key feature of the dramatic scene of Dubai.
"I think the loss of a versatile venue in a city, where most available venues are hotel spaces, means that there is a loss of a multi-function space. It was a space that I've been able to host over a dozen events. This makes it a nostalgic goodbye," said Apaza.
Apaza added that the closing is representative of the disconnect between the types of arts that people in Dubai want to consume versus the type of art that is staged.
Meanwhile, Lamya Tawfik, actress and storyteller who had performed in Ductac over the last 10 years, said: "It is a true loss for the arts community to see a place that was always buzzing with shows, artists and students close its doors. For a budding scene, losing a main player like Ductac is hard.
Since 2006, Ductac has put on several acclaimed theatre productions including Nutcracker, High School Musical, Matilda, Dracula and the Jungle Book.
It also offered a range of courses for people interested in arts, acting, public speaking, pottery and interior design.
sherouk@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE
• Dubai

Sherouk Zakaria

sherouk@khaleejtimes.com