للمؤسسة الثقافية · أبوظبي
A curated selection of world-class Theatre in Education productions, each one rooted in UAE heritage, designed to inspire the next generation, and ready to take the stage at the Cultural Foundation.
Every production in this collection is built around the values, stories and spirit of the UAE. From the poetry of Fatat Al-Arab to the founding vision of Sheikh Zayed, from the ancient walls of Qasr Al Hosn to the boundless imagination of young people finding their place in this remarkable country; these shows exist to tell your story, on your stage, for your community.
A UAE-born theatre company with deep roots in the region's culture, communities and schools. Everything we create is made for this part of the world, by people who live and work here.
Dune Productions is a UAE-based company. We don't import generic content from elsewhere. Every production we make is created specifically for this region, its values, its stories and its young people.
Run by working West End professionals with over a thousand productions behind them. We bring international production standards to UAE stages, without losing what makes those stages unique.
Over five years, we have built relationships with more than 270 schools across the UAE and reached over 70,000 young people through live theatre. Education is not a side project for us. It is everything.
From Emirati heritage and Nabati poetry to the vision of Sheikh Zayed and the spirit of the UAE's founding story, Dune Productions puts local culture at the heart of every production we create.
The Life & Story of Ousha the Poet Fatat Al-Arab
When a curious modern-day girl discovers a weathered journal hidden amongst her grandmother's belongings, she unlocks a portal into one of the most extraordinary lives the UAE has ever known. The journal belongs to Ousha bint Khalifa Al Suwaidi, Fatat Al-Arab, the Girl of the Arabs, one of the greatest Nabati poets of the 20th century.
Transported back through time, our young heroine journeys alongside Ousha from the sun-baked landscapes of Al Ain to the pearl-diving shores of the Gulf, witnessing the UAE grow and transform through the power of her words. Each poem becomes a doorway into the desert nights of the Bedouin, into the halls of culture and pride, into the heart of a nation finding its voice. And through Ousha's extraordinary story, our girl discovers something she didn't expect to find: her own.
"A girl who dared to speak when the world told her to be silent, and changed her nation forever. This is that story."
Ousha was awarded the Abu Dhabi Award by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. An annual poetry prize bears her name. A section of the Women's Museum is dedicated to her. This production honours that legacy, right here at the Cultural Foundation, steps from where her story echoes loudest.
School groups (Years 5–12), families, community performances. Performed in English with integrated Arabic poetry and cultural context.
An Adventure Set by Sheikh Zayed Himself
Built exclusively for this stage, in this place, in this community Sands of Time is a theatrical adventure unlike any other. The story begins at Qasr Al Hosn, the 1761 watchtower that stands just steps from this very theatre, and the oldest building in Abu Dhabi. Within its ancient walls, a group of young people discover a hidden map a quest laid out by Sheikh Zayed himself leading them on an extraordinary journey through the history, heritage and soul of the UAE.
From the pearl-diving traditions that built this nation, to the wisdom of the Majlis, to the vision that transformed desert into metropolis; each stage of the quest reveals a new chapter of Emirati identity. Guided by the spirit of the founding father and the living stones of Qasr Al Hosn, the children don't just learn their heritage. They feel it. They live it. They become part of it.
"Created specifically for the Cultural Foundation, a show that could only exist here, could only be told here, and belongs entirely to this place and its people."
This production is designed specifically around the Cultural Foundation and Qasr Al Hosn complex. References to the fort, the National Consultative Council, the House of Artisans and the Foundation itself are woven throughout, making every Abu Dhabi child feel they are seeing their own story on stage.
Primary and secondary school groups, families, special heritage events. Ideal for National Day, Zayed Heritage Festival and Foundation anniversary programming.
An Original Theatre in Education Musical
Pip has moved schools, changed countries, and doesn't know who she is anymore. Karim hasn't spoken a word, not even to his closest friend. And Glitch? She's read every book in the library but never learned how to make a friend. When the three are brought together by the irrepressible Professor Scrumpo and his extraordinary time-travelling invention Christine, they are launched on an adventure that takes them from the storytelling traditions of Old Dubai to a UAE Space Station orbiting Mars in the year 3022.
Along the way, Pip discovers that home is not a place; it's a feeling. Karim finds the courage to speak. And Glitch, for the first time in her life, finds her people. With original songs, audience participation, laugh-out-loud comedy and moments of genuine heart, Unstoppable Me is a celebration of self-belief, belonging and the extraordinary potential that lives inside every young person.
"A musical adventure set in the heart of the UAE, where every child in the audience sees themselves on stage and leaves believing they are truly unstoppable."
Set in Dubai and the UAE, with storylines rooted in the Hakawati storytelling tradition, the Hope Probe, the Burj Khalifa, and the cultural mosaic of a nation where children from every corner of the world call home. This is the UAE's story told through its children.
Full original score with live-performed songs. Interactive audience participation throughout. Suitable for ages 5–14. Proven with school audiences across the region.
An Original Theatre in Education Musical
Pip and Karim are on a mission. Their school has been talking about sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals, but Pip is overwhelmed. How can one small person change the entire world? Together with the irrepressible inventor Professor Scrumpo, the data-driven Glitch and the brilliantly grumpy robot K2, they blast off aboard Scrumpo's extraordinary SkyLab and travel through time, from the prehistoric earth 230 million years ago to a breathtaking vision of the UAE in the year 3023.
Along the way they discover the truth about climate change, teamwork and what it really means to make a difference. Scrumpo's Steamonauts have been collecting the data. Now the children have to bring it back, fix K2, and save the planet. It turns out the Change Makers were never far away. They were in the audience all along.
"It's tiny drops of water that make mighty oceans. A show that sends every child home believing they have the power to change the world."
Set in the UAE and rooted in the country's commitment to sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals, Change Makers connects directly to the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment's vision for the next generation. A show built for this country, its values and its future.
Full original score with live-performed songs. High-energy audience participation throughout. Suitable for ages 5 to 14. Proven with school audiences across the UAE.
The Cultural Foundation is not just a venue. It can be a home for the next generation of UAE theatre talent. Dune Productions has the track record, the team and the programme to make that happen.
Dune Productions already runs Dubai's only dedicated youth theatre school: The West End Academy, based inside The Agenda, one of Dubai's premier professional venues. Students aged 6 to 18 train with working West End professionals, rehearse real scripts on a real stage, and perform in full-scale productions in front of live audiences every term.
This is not a classroom drama club. This is professional youth theatre training, delivered inside a working venue, with every student working toward a real performance. The model is proven. The results speak for themselves.
We are ready to bring this model to Abu Dhabi. The Cultural Foundation's 900-seat theatre, its community reach and its position at the heart of UAE cultural life make it the perfect home for a permanent youth theatre academy. Daytime school shows. Evening public performances. Weekend stage school. Holiday camps. One venue, year-round programming.
Each summer and holiday period, Dune Productions runs intensive performing arts camps where young people aged 6 to 18 spend a week working with professionals, learning their craft and performing in a showcase production at the end. Fast, transformative and genuinely thrilling for the young people involved. Ready to launch at the Cultural Foundation immediately.
A permanent stage school and holiday camp programme means the Cultural Foundation becomes a destination, not just a venue. Young people and families coming back term after term. Schools booking camps as part of their cultural calendar. The Foundation embedded in the community in a way that goes far beyond a single show.
Each of these productions can be adapted, developed and staged in partnership with the Cultural Foundation, from a single pilot show to a full season of programming. The stories are ready. The stage is waiting. The audience is yours.