By Ann Pajares
After the successful run of its first-ever theatre production ?Hairspray? during last year?s edition of Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS), Spotlight Academy at Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre (DUCTAC) has brought another major musical to town. This year, it is the popular musical adaptation of William Shakespeare?s ?Romeo and Juliet?, the classic ?West Side Story? that takes DUCTAC?s spotlight onstage. But the main highlight of ?West Side Story? is the pool of local talents that are performing along with actors and actresses from London?s ?West End? production.
Speaking to UNi on a rare opportunity is Ms. Millie Tsai, the General Manager of DUCTAC, who shares her visions in building this community to be centred in the youth and arts ? thus helping Dubai create a vibrant cultural scene.
To those who are not yet aware, how would you describe DUCTAC?
DUCTAC was opened in 2006 and is the region?s first modern non-profit, cross-community creative centre. It is made up of two theatres, a visual arts gallery, dance, and rehearsal and art studios, including pottery, sculpture and mosaic classrooms. The centre was the brainchild of local theatre-lovers and business people who recognized the need for such a centre, for both entertainment and education. A huge range of performances, installations, exhibitions, classes and events take place in DUCTAC every week, providing entertainment and education in almost every creative genre.
Since your inception, how can you describe the growing years of the organization?
It?s clear to see how much the visual arts scene in Dubai has grown over recent years, but the performing arts industry is also changing and improving in quality and diversity. Since 2006, when we were mainly a ?venue for hire?, we have concentrated on presenting, co-producing and producing more and more shows and events. We have also focused on providing further opportunities for emerging Dubai based artists and young local performers.
How did your projects benefit the arts and entertainment industry in Dubai?
Good quality entertainment ensures that audiences continue returning to the theatre and also encourages new audiences, which in turn leads to us being able to present bigger and better quality shows. Projects like Spotlight Academy@ DUCTAC benefit the arts industry in Dubai by encouraging and cultivating home-grown talent so that the industry continues to grow and improve in the future. The more support people give to the arts, the more we all benefit from a healthy and vibrant cultural scene.
What are your priorities at DUCTAC in the short-term and long-term?
Our short-term goal is to continue to improve the quality of our current initiatives, Spotlight Academy @ DUCTAC, our annual multidisciplinary arts Festival the DUCTAC Season and MinD (Made in Dubai), our alternative arts platform, which takes place in March.
Long-term, I would like to see us become the venue of choice in the Middle East for international touring companies, artists and promoters. We also want to be a driving force behind the promotion of the UAE?s cultural scene internationally by continuing to form partnerships with cultural institutions from around the world.
We understand that you are trying to develop local talents by encouraging them to participate in world-class projects. What is behind this objective?
Anyone who came along to see our recent production of ?West Side Story? will surely be impressed by the talent in the UAE. Many people commented that they couldn?t tell which of the stars were professional, so that?s a huge compliment to the young performers who were working alongside seasoned West End performers.
Nurturing young talent is extremely important, as this is one of the ways we can ensure that future generations of our city have an appreciation of the arts and that we continue to grow as a society. All of the world?s great cities have a thriving cultural scene and the arts are essential to Dubai?s future as a cosmopolitan global hub.
Source: http://www.uni.ae/2011/09/22/locally-unleashing-local-talent/
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