It's All Been Done Before 2024

Third Half Theatre brings back the hit anthology of plays written right here in Dubai, 'It's All Been Done Before'. Multiple award-winning plays rub shoulders with plays that have traveled to Delhi and LA in addition to performing all over Dubai at The Junction, DUCTAC, Madinat, Emirates Litfest, and the Sikka Art Fair.

We received unprecedented feedback from our wonderful audience last year and can’t wait to entertain you this December.

Get set for an evening of fun, laughter, poignance, and reflection. Reconnect with the magic of the theatre with some of Dubai's best talent collaborating to bring you an unforgettable night out.

About the Plays

The Monkey's Paw - A story of a family whose lives are altered when an old friend brings a strange Talisman into their home. (Theatrical adaptation of a short story by W.W. Jacobs)

Flare up at 311 - A couple has a dispute about selling their flat and moving to a more affordable neighborhood.

I Am - Inspired by real events, the play follows the journey of a girl growing up in a traditional society.

Tréteau - An amalgamation of inspirations and ideas, Tréteau is a frenetic distillation of the overarching love of the theatre as an art form shared by playwrights and players alike.

The Tragic Queen - A ten-minute musical following two heiresses to a kingdom who must overcome politics and love for the throne.

Janus - A second generation immigrant faces uncomfortable competition from someone 'fresh off the boat'.

Garçon - Three men happen to meet at a café, each waiting for that special someone. But who is she?

It's All Been Done Before - A beleaguered writer struggles to finish his script while the characters keep interrupting. 

Show Details

Date: December 6,7,8, 2024
Time: Doors open 7 p.m.
Venue: Junction Alserkal Avenue
Tickets: Platinumlist
Language: English

 

Meera: Echoes of Love

Third Half Theatre is teaming up with Symphony Sargam to bring you a grand musical on Meera this October in Dubai.

Meera: Echoes of Love brings together the rich traditions of Kathak dance, Indian classical music, and theatre to tell the story of the Bhakti saint Meerabai. The performance explores the life of a woman whose devotion defied societal norms and transcended the boundaries of caste and class.

Combining dance, theatre, and music, Meera: Echoes of Love features seventy local artists performing on stage. The show celebrates the power of women and highlights the profound impact of love and devotion.

Meera's story is one of love, tolerance, and the transcendental power of unwavering focus and determination.

Date: October 26, 2024
Time: Doors open 7 p.m.
Venue: Dubai British School, Jumeirah Park
Tickets: Platinumlist
Language: Hindi

Prepare to be transported to the 1600s. See you there!

Romancing Tagore

Malhaar brings the esteemed Padmashri Shubha Mudgal to Dubai in a unique show celebrating the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.

Featuring her phenomenal range and repertoire on vocal, Aneesh Pradhan on Tabla, Sudhir Nayak on Harmonium along with 30 artists of the Malhaar ensemble, the concert will delve into the poetry and music of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore intertwined with Indian classical music.

Malhaar presents Romancing Tagore

Saturday 11the May 7:30 p.m.

Emirates Auditorium, Jumeirah (EIS)

Tickets on Platinumlist

Languages: Bengali, Hindi, English

Third Half Theatre, as always, is excited to be part of the show and continue in the tradition of bringing Indian classical culture in a modern and relevant context to the multicultural audience of Dubai.

For this show, one of the crucial aspects was interpreting/translating some of Tagore's great poems and songs from the Bengali. One gets a real sense of the foresight, the nuance, the depth, the sheer genius and scope of his body of work.

And then to hear Shubha Mudgal ji's carefully curated responses in Hindustani Classical in her inimitable style and voice is an absolute treat. 

You don't want to miss this one. See you there!

India Premiere - Still Dancing 2024

Five years to the date, we are all set to bring Still Dancing to India.

After a round of hectic auditions in January, and rehearsals through March and April, the first show with an all new cast and crew premieres at the NCPA Experimental Theatre on 11^th April 2024. 

This leg of the first run sees two shows in Mumbai, the premiere at the XP followed by one at the Royal Opera House on the 13^th. After that we head to Ahmedabad for two shows at the Forum Club 07 in Ahmedabad on the 19^th and 20^th April.

 

Movement Mantra and Third Half Theatre present Still Dancing: A True Story of a Parkinson’s Hero.

 

Cast: Bhavna Pani, Vivek Raj Tandon, Mona Ambegaonkar, Nakul Bhalla, Amey Mehta, Bhumika Mane, Abhimanyu Gupta, Avenav Mukherjee

Dancers: Kumar Sharma, Anmol Sood, Rahul Sharma, Shammi Kumar, Eshika Choomer, Smriti Bhandari, Meghna Thakur, Bhavana Sharma

Line Producer: QTP

Dance Partner: Kathak Rockers

Supported by Adani Foundation

Tickets:  BookMyShow

Based on a true Story, Still Dancing portrays the journey of a family, quite like yours and mine, with the same hopes, dreams, triumphs, and struggles. Prepare to be swept away by the music, enthralled by the dance, and moved by a timeless story of our times.

Thirty Days in September

How does one recalibrate the past when it is devastating? How does one reframe one’s memories if they are debilitating? When darkness gets to a point of comfort, how does one turn to the light? When exactly does one finally say, “Enough!”

Third Half Theatre, in collaboration with EnAct, presents Mahesh Dattani’s powerful ‘Thirty Days in September’ at The Dubai Heights Academy, Al Barsha for one night only on Saturday the 13th of January 2024 at 7 pm.

This deeply moving play is a journey into the impermanence of memory, the suppression thereof, and the fantasies we propagate to render the truth palatable. 

Set against the backdrop of intricate human emotions and the lingering shadows of the past, this theatrical journey is one not to be missed.

Thirty Days in September
Date     : Saturday 13th January 2024
Time    : Sharp start at 7 p.m. (gates open 6:30)
Venue  : Dubai Heights Academy, Al Barsha, Dubai
Tickets : Platinumlist.net

This extensively researched play is an eye opener and a seminal work that provides a platform for important conversations about women's empowerment, self-discovery, and the collective strength of individuals who refuse to be defined by their past.

See you there!

Mumbai Auditions - Still Dancing

The magic of Still Dancing, our play on Parkinson’s, continues as we announce open auditions in Mumbai for the India leg of its journey.

Third Half Theatre is immensely proud to get back together with Movement Mantra to bring you this moving piece for its India premiere planned for the 11^th of April on World Parkinson’s Day in Mumbai.

The wonderful folk at QTP have put together the auditions planned from the 18^th to the 21^st of January 2024. If you would like to audition, or know anyone in India who would, please direct them to this link to register by the 14th of January.

Still Dancing is an entertaining and thought-provoking amalgamation of music, dance and theatre, celebrating the struggles and triumphs of the human spirit. 

It is an attempt to bring much needed attention, not only to People with Parkinson’s but also to the care givers and family members who experience the life altering impact of the condition.

See you at the auditions!

Haaye Akhtari 2023

One of our finest Malhaar collaborations, Haaye Akhtari in 2015 was a grand success. We are happy to bring it to you once again this October in Dubai.

A signature blend of Hindustani Classical Music, Dance, and the Theatre, the show will feature Begum Akhtar’s most famous ghazals, thumris, and dadras. We will have a unique fusion of Kathak and Bharatnatyam in some of the pieces as well as the theatrical representation of Begum Akhtar’s journey from a precocious young talent to the Queen of Ghazals.

Begum Akhtar’s story is a window into a period of great transition in the musical history of the Indian subcontinent, influenced as it was by the turbulent times in which it was set; spanning both the wars, the Indian freedom struggle and its aftermath. In such times of great upheaval, the insatiable quest of every artist for excellence is further mitigated by a constant struggle to preserve cultural and artistic integrity.

For Begum Akhtar’s own art, this was encapsulated in one word: Taaseer. It is a fascinating word and has several connotations. As explained to her by one of her early mentors, Ustad Ata Khan Saheb, the word implied ‘soulful singing’. The word can also be used to convey efficacy, or the manifestation of an expression, a sigh. It can be used to convey execution, performance, and even intended consequence. And finally, perhaps tellingly, it means the impression left on the mind.

Begum Akhtar’s life is a journey in search of this elusive Taaseer. To put this in context consider that she started performing as a singer in her pre-teens and went on to star on stage and screen. She became one of the most successful recording artists of the pre-independence era. And yet her most powerful, genre establishing accomplishments came post-independence, in the twilight of her career. I like to think that this was when she finally found Taaseer. And therefore in the context of this show, Taaseer is the pinnacle of artistic achievement; the soul of the artist.

In a world obsessed with the here and now, with immediate gratification, the show provides a sense of the lifelong strife it can be to truly achieve the pinnacle of artistic achievement.

Haaye Akhtari opens on Saturday the 28^th of October 2023 7:30 p.m. at the Emirates Theatre, Jumeirah. Tickets on Platinumlist. Please also see these articles on CurtainRaiser and in Khaleej Times.

See you there!