As it embarks on its second decade, The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi unveils a season that promises to ignite dialogue, celebrate heritage, and explore the shared experiences of global communities. Under the theme Stories of Our Communities, inspired by the UAE’s Year of Community, the 11th Season invites audiences to traverse histories, identities, and cultural narratives through theater, dance, music, and multimedia performances. Rooted in the intellectual and cultural energy of Saadiyat Island, The Arts Center reaffirms its role as a dynamic hub where artistry, scholarship, and community converge.
The season opens with the Arab world premiere of Find Your Eyes by British visual and movement theater maker Benji Reid. Presented with the support of Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels, the performance fuses photography, choreography, and theater to craft surreal stage imagery. Reid’s work interrogates the intersections of race, nationhood, and gender, focusing on Black British experience, masculinity, and mental health, offering audiences an intimate reflection on vulnerability, tragedy, and triumph. Through his lens, viewers are invited to consider how stories and images shape our understanding of the human condition.
Following this, Dear Children, Sincerely…, a Rwanda-Sri Lanka collaboration directed by Ruwanthie de Chickera, offers a kaleidoscopic exploration of colonial and post-colonial histories. Artists interviewed elders born in the 1930s, transforming personal testimonies into a moving performance that bridges continents and connects shared experiences across time. This ensemble piece exemplifies The Arts Center’s commitment to cultivating narratives that resonate universally while remaining deeply anchored in local communities.
A bold contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello arrives from Cape Town’s Baxter Theatre Centre, directed by Lara Foot. This decolonial reimagining, presented in English, Afrikaans, and isiXhosa with English subtitles, traces historical arcs from German colonialism to the Herero uprising, confronting enduring legacies of oppression. Foot, CEO and Artistic Director of the Baxter Theatre and a former Rolex protégé, infuses urgency and resonance into this classic tragedy, inviting audiences to reconsider canonical texts through an African lens while connecting with NYUAD’s long-standing academic leadership in Global Shakespeare studies.
Beyond the performances, The Arts Center emphasizes its educational mission, serving as a vibrant extension of NYUAD’s liberal arts curriculum. Visiting artists engage with students through workshops, masterclasses, and panel discussions, providing experiential learning across disciplines. Collaborative initiatives, including partnerships with NYUAD’s Core Curriculum and Literature and Creative Writing Program, integrate performances into academic study, fostering critical reflection, creativity, and cultural literacy among emerging global citizens.
Community engagement remains central to the season through programs like Off the Stage, presented by Mubadala. Expanding its range of post-performance talks, Q&As, and career workshops, the initiative enables audiences to engage more deeply with the themes and techniques behind each work. Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels continues to support contemporary dance, ensuring that both creation and transmission of artistic knowledge remain at the forefront of The Arts Center’s mission.
In the words of Executive Artistic Director Bill Bragin, “What makes The Arts Center special is its deep connection to ‘place’ – to Abu Dhabi, to NYUAD, and to the diverse communities that call this city home. This season we’re asking audiences to come together, to listen more deeply, and to see themselves reflected in the stories on our stages.” With performances running from September into October, the 11th Season reaffirms the center’s vision of fostering cultural dialogue, creative excellence, and community connection.
Experience this season of reflection and storytelling at The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi, where every performance invites audiences to witness the power of art in shaping, challenging, and celebrating the shared human experience. For tickets and full schedule details, visit The Arts Center’s website.
