Wearing an itchy fake black beard, white overalls and an over-sized fedora, I pointed my toy rifle at a classmate clumsily dressed as a donkey and threatened to shoot if "my wife" - another classmate wearing hideous eyeshadow and make-up - didn't make me a sandwich. Well, she refused, and bang went the poor donkey. That was my introduction to theatre at the age of 8, playing an "evil husband". Part of the extracurricular activities in private Saudi schools was to put on plays, recite poems and perform musicals in front of hundreds of students. Often our mothers came too, watching in horror as we sang out of tune and danced out of sync. The schools were, and remain, segregated, so the male roles were played by the more dominant and flamboyant girls.
Memories of school plays, some of which I have blocked out from embarrassment, came back to me when I spent a few days with some Emirati theatre actors. They were staging experimental and classical plays as part of a youth theatre festival aimed at reviving one of the UAE's oldest forms of performing art. The youngest and most shy of my actor friends put on a particularly intense performance as a patriotic soldier; he completely fooled me into thinking it was a side of himself that he'd kept hidden. But that is the beauty of the theatre - to be live on stage, within touching distance of the audience. There is no comparison between school plays and professional ones, of course, but nevertheless there is something to be said for allowing youngsters to explore their inner selves by trying on different hats, playing out different roles and seeing which one strikes a chord with them.
I will never forget the time we staged a performance of that all-time favourite musical, The Sound of Music. We practised, but we didn't really understand what we were singing as our English wasn't great then (Do-Re-Mi? What was that all about?), and the nuns were transformed into strangely dressed "Islamic teachers". We were aged 11 and 12, and never had a singing coach; we just drove our families mad by rehearsing at home.
"Who is slaughtering goats in here?" my friend's father called out from upstairs when he heard a group of us trying to hit the high notes. It was hilarious. It didn't matter if you were the first in class, the daughter of a minister, or even a royal, we were all equal on the stage, where you are judged on your performance and not your social status. Needless to say, the performance was a disaster. To this day my mother loves to remind me that I was "the cutest little mountain goat". This is a reference to the unfortunate incident during one of the dance scenes, when I over-shot a jump - and landed in the arms of some startled mothers in the front row.
And while technically not a play, one of our proudest moments was dancing on stage to Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal, where we mixed traditional steps with pathetic attempts at some of Jacko's moves. Dressed in black outfits with red berets, we tried our best - but I doubt if it looked as good as it felt. I am sure most people have tried their hand at some form of performing art, but unless there is a system in place that nurtures these attempts, nothing really comes of them except nice memories.
A group of us once tried to make a short film in real time, long before that technique became mainstream. We pretended that a public setting was the "stage". I used to volunteer at a public hospital in Jeddah, and my friend, another volunteer, used a hidden camera to record me at work. I was in the reception area when an elderly man with a newly dyed orange beard came in and told me his wife was having a baby. When I tried to write down information about his family, such as the number of children, the old man couldn't remember how many children he had. But in the middle of our conversation he did remember one very important thing: he had left his pet goat in the back of his pick-up and he was worried that it might be getting overheated. So he excused himself and left to keep the goat company while his wife gave birth.
Seriously, who needs the theatre? All the world's a stage for the best kind of entertainment - and it's free. rghazal@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Test series fixtures
(All matches start at 2pm UAE)
1st Test Lord's, London from Thursday to Monday
2nd Test Nottingham from July 14-18
3rd Test The Oval, London from July 27-31
4th Test Manchester from August 4-8
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
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ACC 2019: The winners in full
Best Actress Maha Alemi, Sofia
Best Actor Mohamed Dhrif, Weldi
Best Screenplay Meryem Benm’Barek, Sofia
Best Documentary Of Fathers and Sons by Talal Derki
Best Film Yomeddine by Abu Bakr Shawky
Best Director Nadine Labaki, Capernaum
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SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday
AC Milan v Sampdoria (2.30pm kick-off UAE)
Atalanta v Udinese (5pm)
Benevento v Parma (5pm)
Cagliari v Hellas Verona (5pm)
Genoa v Fiorentina (5pm)
Lazio v Spezia (5pm)
Napoli v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Roma (5pm)
Torino v Juventus (8pm)
Bologna v Inter Milan (10.45pm)
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
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Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
Neymar's bio
Total club appearances 411
Total goals scored 241
Appearances for Barca 186
Goals scored for Barca 105
Ready Player One
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance
Company%20Profile
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England's Ashes squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
Europe's top EV producers
- Norway (63% of cars registered in 2021)
- Iceland (33%)
- Netherlands (20%)
- Sweden (19%)
- Austria (14%)
- Germany (14%)
- Denmark (13%)
- Switzerland (13%)
- United Kingdom (12%)
- Luxembourg (10%)
Source: VCOe
Honeymoonish
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Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
Company%20Profile
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Fight card
1. Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) v Siyovush Gulmamadov (TJK)
2. Featherweight: Hussein Salim (IRQ) v Shakhriyor Juraev (UZB)
3. Catchweight 80kg: Rashed Dawood (UAE) v Khamza Yamadaev (RUS)
4. Lightweight: Ho Taek-oh (KOR) v Ronald Girones (CUB)
5. Lightweight: Arthur Zaynukov (RUS) v Damien Lapilus (FRA)
6. Bantamweight: Vinicius de Oliveira (BRA) v Furkatbek Yokubov (RUS)
7. Featherweight: Movlid Khaybulaev (RUS) v Zaka Fatullazade (AZE)
8. Flyweight: Shannon Ross (TUR) v Donovon Freelow (USA)
9. Lightweight: Mohammad Yahya (UAE) v Dan Collins (GBR)
10. Catchweight 73kg: Islam Mamedov (RUS) v Martun Mezhulmyan (ARM)
11. Bantamweight World title: Jaures Dea (CAM) v Xavier Alaoui (MAR)
12. Flyweight World title: Manon Fiorot (FRA) v Gabriela Campo (ARG)
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5