From intimate shows to large-scale productions, the fourth season of Perform Sharjah highlights the diversity and richness of contemporary performing arts through an exciting line-up of local, regional and international artists. Spanning over two months this autumn, the programme brings both new and returning performances directly to its audiences, permeating public spaces and community hubs across Sharjah and Khorfakkan. This spirit is encapsulated by the launch of Music on the Barge, which will transform Khalid Lake and the surrounding park with three musical nights on a purpose-built floating stage.
This year, Perform Sharjah features two ambitious co-productions. Selma & Sofiane Ouissi’s Laaroussa Quartet models its choreography after the gestures of women potters creating traditional clay dolls—laaroussa—in Sejnane, northwest Tunisia. Laaroussa Quartet will bring its celebration of craft, resilience and creativity to the courtyard of Al Qasimiyah School, amplifying the motif of cultural transmission. Radouan Mriziga‘s Magec / The Desert taps into the hidden wisdom of the landscape. Choreography set against a collage of text and sounds, the performance frames the desert as a teacher to be respected and not a resource to be exploited.
Returning this season is Ahmed El Attar’s Arabic adaptation of Duncan Macmillan’s acclaimed one-act play Every Brilliant Thing, which was part of Perform Sharjah’s inaugural edition in 2022. With actress Nanda Mohamed in the lead, this interactive performance—a surprisingly uplifting account of living with depression—invites audience members in both Sharjah and Khorfakkan to participate, blurring the line between actor and spectator.
In another adaptation, Muhanad Kareem tackles Olga Tokarczuk’s searing 2009 novel Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead. This unflinching mystery confronts animal cruelty while exploring themes of violence and displacement that resonate around the globe today. Luis Guenel looks at what of our world can be salvaged in Minga of a House in Ruins. Drawing on the Patagonian tradition of collectively moving whole houses from one point to another, this performance weaves together three stories that reflect on the meaning of home.
Nanda Mohammad takes the stage once again, both directing and performing in Searching for Love, an intimate lyrical duet with violinist Mohammed Sami. Interweaving music and poetry, the play focuses on a couple who find themselves at a turning point in their relationship. Another artist duo, Claire & Anthony use music, dance and shadows to cast fresh light on the open spaces of Sharjah with Souvenirs. Through humour and tenderness, this delicate performance touches on dreams, regrets and the enduring power of imagination.
By staging productions in both familiar and unexpected spaces, Perform Sharjah brings a range of compelling, experimental and enticing performances to audiences across the emirate, sparking shared solidarities, kinship and hope that will persist long after the programme ends.
