Image courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation
This autumn, Perform Sharjah presents an exciting line-up of local, regional and international performances highlightingthe diversity and richness of contemporary performing arts. Taking place across two months from 11 October to 30 November 2025, the fourth season brings both new and returning performances directly to its audiences, permeating public spaces and community hubs across Sharjah and Khorfakkan.
From intimate shows to large-scale productions, Perform Sharjah continues to push boundaries by bringing performances to both familiar and unexpected spaces. This year, the programme features two ambitious performances co-produced by Sharjah Art Foundation. Laaroussa Quartet by Selma and Sofiane Ouissi, a GCC premiere, staged in the courtyard of Al Qasimiyah School, celebrates the ancient art of pottery-making in Sejnane, Tunisia. Inspired by the gestures of women potters creating traditional clay dolls, or laaroussa, the performance reflects on cultural transmission, resilience and craftsmanship.
Meanwhile, Magec / The Desert by Radouan Mriziga, also premiering in the GCC, taps into the profound wisdom of the desert landscape, combining choreography with text and sound to portray the desert as both a teacher and a sacred space. This performance will take place in Bait Obaid Al Shamsi, a heritage house in Sharjah’s historical district.
After its resounding success in Perform Sharjah’s first season, Ahmed El Attar’s Arabic adaptation of Every Brilliant Thing makes a comeback. Taking place at Shajar Car Park in Aljada, Sharjah and Khorfakkan, this interactive performance invites audiences to engage directly with the actors. Starring Nanda Mohamed, this uplifting yet raw account of living with depression offers a unique, participatory theatre experience, blurring the line between performer and spectator.
Additionally, Muhanad Kareem brings Olga Tokarczuk’s powerful novel Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Deadto the stage of Africa Hall, confronting issues of animal cruelty while exploring themes of violence and displacement that resonate around the globe today. Taking place in the courtyard of Al Qasimiyah School, Luis Guenel Soto and Ebana Garin Coronel’s Minga of a House in Ruins, premiering in the region, considers the meaning of home, drawing inspiration from the Patagonian tradition of moving houses as a collective act.
Nanda Mohammad returns in a second performance, this time both directing and starring in the GCC premiere of Searching for Love, a poetic and intimate duet with violinist Mohamed Sami. Staged at Your Space in Aljada, Sharjah and Al Dana Grand Ballroom, Khorfakkan, this performance interweaves music and poetry to reflect the emotional journey of their long marriage. In Sharjah’s Arts Square and Al Hisn, Claire & Antho perform in the regional premiere of Souvenirs, which blends music, dance and silhouettes. Through their movements between light and shadow, the performers evoke a tender exploration of dreams, regrets and the power of imagination.
This season, the programme introduces Music on the Barge, a series of three musical nights that will transform Khalid Lake and the surrounding park into a purpose-built floating stage in collaboration with the Sharjah Ports, Customs and Free Zones Authority. Music on the Barge will feature ADIGA, a Sudanese fusion band blending folk, hip-hop, funk and neo-soul; NOON, an experimental project mixing funk, African and Indian rhythms with electronic effects; and Ruhaniyat, a group led by Hetartho Chatterjee, influenced by Hindustani classical traditions and Sufi poetry.
More than just a venue for performances, the barge is envisioned as a gathering place for the community to come together, connect and learn more about the Foundation’s programmes and initiatives.
To know more about the full programme, visit sharjahart.org.
Sharjah Art Foundation is an advocate, catalyst and producer of contemporary art within the Emirate of Sharjah and the surrounding region, in dialogue with the international arts community. The Foundation advances an experimental and wide-ranging programmatic model that supports the production and presentation of contemporary art, preserves and celebrates the distinct culture of the region and encourages a shared understanding of the transformational role of art. The Foundation’s core initiatives include the long-running Sharjah Biennial, featuring contemporary artists from around the world; the annual March Meeting, a convening of international arts professionals and artists; grants and residencies for artists, curators and cultural producers; ambitious and experimental commissions and a range of travelling exhibitions and scholarly publications.
Established in 2009 to expand programmes beyond the Sharjah Biennial, which launched in 1993, the Foundation is a critical resource for artists and cultural organisations in the Gulf and a conduit for local, regional and international developments in contemporary art. The Foundation’s deep commitment to developing and sustaining the cultural life and heritage of Sharjah is reflected through year-round exhibitions, performances, screenings and educational programmes in the city of Sharjah and across the Emirate, often hosted in historic buildings that have been repurposed as cultural and community centres. A growing collection reflects the Foundation’s support of contemporary artists in the realisation of new work and its recognition of the contributions made by pioneering modern artists from the region and around the world.
Sharjah Art Foundation is a legally independent public body established by Emiri Decree and supported by government funding, grants from national and international nonprofits and cultural organisations, corporate sponsors and individual patrons. Hoor Al Qasimi serves as President and Director. All exhibitions are free and open to the public.
Sharjah is the third largest of the seven United Arab Emirates, and the only one bridging the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Reflecting the deep commitment to the arts, architectural preservation and cultural education embraced by its ruler, Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Sharjah is home to more than 20 museums and has long been known as the cultural hub of the United Arab Emirates. It was named UNESCO's Arab Capital of Culture for 1998 and the UNESCO World Book Capital for 2019.
Alyazeyah Al Marri
alyazeyah@sharjahart.org
+971 (0)6 5444113
Image courtesy of Sharjah Art Foundation