The next stage

The Middle East has successfully attracted some big name feature film productions to the region, most recently The Kingdom, shot on-location in Abu Dhabi. A host of film festivals have also been attracting the stars for several years. Now the region's film industry has begun to address the issue of promoting and assisting local talent. Several schemes and initiatives are in place to provide filmmakers with funding and exposure.

Lately, the theatre industry has been attracting international touring productions with increasing regularity.

Amateur theatre, on the other hand, is still lagging behind.

The Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre (DuCTAC) was built with the aid of the UAE government in a bid to promote grassroots theatre. DuCTAC's deputy chairman, Brian Wilkie gathered together a host of sponsors among their fellow tenants in the Mall of the Emirates. Support for the project snowballed with more and more businesses signing up to help out.

Kemsley Dickinson is a member of the Dubai Drama Group (DDG), which is based at DuCTAC.

"The amount of support when they were raising funds for the theatre was huge. They ended up with a much bigger facility than first envisaged," says Dickinson. "The Centrepoint Theatre is the main venue here. It's a very impressive place. Unfortunately, it's also expensive to maintain. Even simple things like lighting and the AC cost a lot of money. I don't think people initially realised how expensive it would be to service thel infrastructure as well."

Following the initial fundraising drive, DuCTAC's only source of income has been derived from room hire. As a result, providing the use of the theatre on a not-for-profit basis is difficult.

"It's challenging for them to continue justifying the community tag," says Dickinson. "They are prepared to give amateur groups a fair rate and we understand that they need to cover costs. There aren't many amateur groups anywhere in the world that can perform in a professional theatre like this with 540 seats and a large stage area and not bankrupt themselves.

"The government genuinely wants to nurture locally produced arts, but there's no medium available to students who are interested in drama or English or acting, to put their education into practice. As a result many creative people end up leaving for the US or Europe.

"Theatre is neglected here. There are too many touring shows coming through town to the detriment of local community-based productions."