Dubai set to take centre stage

Melanie Swan

• Last Updated: November 03. 2009 9:44PM UAE / November 3. 2009 5:44PM GMT

DUBAI // She has taught the likes of the Hollywood stars Christian Slater and Penelope Cruz. Now, the acting coach Michelle Danner is coming to the UAE to share her knowledge with budding local actors.

Ms Danner, based in Los Angeles, said Dubai was “a very exciting city” and she hoped to tap into some of its undiscovered talent.

With its financial muscle and expanding facilities, such as Dubai Studio City and the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre,there is a chance to “create the Middle Eastern Bollywood”, said Ms Danner.

“There’s nothing more exciting than raw, undiscovered talent and I’m always keeping my eyes open for that,” she added.

Ms Danner has directed and acted in more than 30 plays and musicals in New York and Los Angeles.

On her visit to Dubai, she is hosting two workshops in December at Knowledge Village. These are The Actor’s Golden Box, a session for 100 students on breaking down scripts and bringing characters to life, on December 10 and 11, and an intensive programme for 25 students called On Camera Auditioning, on December 12 and 13.

The workshops will coincide with the Dubai International Film Festival, which has, over the years, had stars such as the Ocean’s 11 stalwart George Clooney grace its red carpet.

“I’m very excited to be teaching the Golden Box, which is a mix of lectures and studying film clips and different emotional exercises, as well as improvisational exercises,” said Ms Danner.

“A powerful autobiographical storytelling exercise ends the class and I’ll also be teaching a film class exploring different genres, from comedy to drama, action adventure, horror and so on.”

Ms Danner said her classes were useful not only for actors pursuing careers, but also for writers, directors, producers and the public.

“It is for anyone interested in what it takes to deliver a riveting and powerful performance.

“I would like to be able to come back each year and have my teachings reach new actors from all over the world,” she added.

“My biggest challenge as a teacher is to impart what it takes to be a true artist – the incredible amount of dedication that one has to possess, the work ethic that one must commit to, the ability to ‘see’ one’s self and be consistent on every level.”

While Dubai’s film industry is growing slowly, the demand for acting training reflects the rising popularity of the art.

Drama Dubai, for example, opened two years ago and now has almost 170 budding actors and actresses enrolled in classes.

“It makes people feel alive,” said one of its coaches and the company director, Kemsley Dickinson.

“People want to be challenged in a way that their day-to-day life doesn’t offer them.”

However, Mr Dickinson said that without local support for the industry, it would constantly rely on imported talent.

“I think the Government should fund the two theatres here. That way, the auditoriums are never empty instead of being virtually empty all of the time.

“This will encourage the theatre scene to expand. In the same way, artists from abroad are good but once they are gone, without nurturing our own industry through acting work here, the cycle of importing artists from abroad will never stop.”

mswan@thenational.ae