The Art Center at New York University Abu Dhabi hosts the first global presentation of contemporary theatrical work "The Departure", written by Emirati writer Reem Al-Menhali and directed by American Joanna Settle.

The artwork is the result of a joint assignment between the center and the cultural complex in Abu Dhabi, and it will be shown on the 24th and 25th of this month on the stage of the Black Box Theater in the Arts Center.

The play is presented by promising Emirati artists, among whom are three female students at New York University Abu Dhabi: Reem Al-Menhali, a student of theater and psychology in a class in 2020, Maitha Al-Suwaidi, a political science student in 2021, and Maryam Khalifa Al-Shehhi, a political science student in 2021, alongside Sarah Rashid She is a psychology student at Zayed University in the year 2020.

For his part, Executive Director of the Art Center at New York University Abu Dhabi Bill Bragin said: “The departure play represents a real investment aimed at developing young Emirati talents in line with the slogan of 2020 (the year of its 50th year) by highlighting new theatrical voices presented by a group of Young talented Emirati women, opening the way to enhance their presence on the world stage.

"We are excited about our cooperation with the Cultural Foundation to support the first production of the new theater work, which was written by a young NYU Abu Dhabi student, Reem Al-Menhali, and directed by Joanna Sittel, the award-winning director and professor at the university." Bragin noted that the move is part of the Art Center's ongoing celebration of its fifth anniversary.

For its part, the author of the work, Reem Al-Menhali, said: “The beauty of creating artistic artwork lies around the various influences that contribute to the formation of identity in its ability to motivate us to research the nuances and differences in visions of matters that we think are intuitive and familiar, as it is a process that brings us back to our home country to search and explore, And it raises our curiosity to explore the outside world and find what links us to it. And I think it is important to develop local businesses that complement the rapid development that the UAE is going through because of its steady prosperity. ”

"The departure play highlights the bilingual nature of the country in a way that reflects the broader horizons of meanings and possibilities offered by multilingualism," she added. I feel optimistic about the future of theater in the UAE by working with a group of promising young Emirati women, as their enthusiasm for acting urges me to continue to persevere to develop more works that involve the participation of such young talents. ”

Poems in Arabic and English

The theatrical work weaves poems in both Arabic and English through images and performances, as the text of the theatrical performance was developed using a series of poems written by Reem Al-Menhali in response to the woman's endeavor and perseverance during the stages of her life, from childhood through maturity to aging. This cooperation between the writer and director comes after a project directed by Emirati Reem Al-Menhali when she was a student in the class of professor at New York University Abu Dhabi, Joanna Settel.

Reem Al-Menhali:

"It is important to develop local businesses that complement the rapid development of the UAE and its prosperity," he added.