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.
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.
The Museum Comes to Life
Mr Pinkit runs the most extraordinary museum the world has never quite noticed, tucked inside the Cultural Foundation, filled floor to ceiling with artefacts, curiosities, and objects that hum with untold stories. The rule is simple, and absolutely unbreakable: do not touch the exhibits.
Of course, the rule gets broken. The moment a child's hand brushes an ancient artefact, they are transported, whoosh, back to the time and place it came from. A pearl necklace sends them to the diving boats of the Gulf. A Bedouin coffee pot drops them into a desert Majlis. A fragment of ancient pottery lands them in a trading port of Old Arabia. Each world holds a quest that must be completed before they can return home, and each quest teaches them something priceless about the heritage and culture that shaped the UAE. Magical, funny, surprising and deeply moving, Mr Pinkit's Trinkets is part adventure, part history lesson, and entirely unlike anything else on stage.
"Think Night at the Museum meets Aladdin with the Cultural Foundation itself as the setting, and the UAE's most treasured heritage as the magic."
The Cultural Foundation's museum and galleries are the setting, making this production completely unique to this venue. Audiences will recognise the spaces they walked through on the way in, now transformed into portals to the past. It's theatrical magic rooted in this building and this community.
Primary school groups (5–12), families, holiday programming. Immersive format with strong audience participation. Ideal for repeat visits; each performance can explore different artefacts and eras.
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.