On a circular stage where puppets were hung on the walls and distributed among the audience, one of the most complex human stories was brought to life, but with a contemporary theatrical vision that breaks the classic mold. This took place on the third day of the Dubai Youth Theatre Festival with the show "Othello the Puppet Maker."
The work presented by Dubai People's Theatre was not merely a rewriting of Shakespeare's famous tragedy, but an attempt to ask questions related to human relationships, such as trust, doubt, jealousy, and gossip, through a theatrical language where puppets intersect with humans, silence with confessions, and noise with calm.
With dim lighting and Othello entering the theater from among the audience, the performance began. Othello took on the role of a narrator at first, starting to tell us his story with the puppets and his wife Desdemona, as well as their various journeys. After that, Desdemona entered the stage, and the duo together carried the weight of a full play, using puppets they dressed as multiple characters, all taken from the main characters in Shakespeare's play, including Iago and Emilia. In this show, the puppets are not just decoration, but intertwined characters in the dramatic logic, contributing to changing events through instigation and conveying words, appearing as the true shadow of the maze of doubt that gradually devours the husband.
Desdemona did not ask much from Othello; she only wanted him to accomplish the new puppet. With this request, and through her dialogue with her husband, we are drawn into the worlds of puppets that he makes, which seem to be part of a deeper narrative of the puppet maker himself. Through dialogues on the lips of the puppets, we enter the core of a childlike puppet theater in a different dramatic form, shaping the torn world inhabited by the puppet maker. He weaves them with precision and skill, but in reality, it is these puppets that make him, shaping all his doubts and jealousy.
Director and lead actor Abdullah Sanqur's choice of the circular stage was not just an aesthetic detail. It gave the audience the opportunity to surround the storm of events raging in the center of the stage—a storm charged with the emotions of jealousy, love, and doubt, taking the work to dramatic levels fueled by escalating dialogue. In the middle of the stage, there were also some circular, multi-height seats that were transformed into platforms, akin to confessionals, used by the duo for their dialogues and flaring emotions. With them, the director turned very simple tools into a charged and complete theatrical language.
The plot escalates by relying on clever abstraction, supported by the theatrical music composed by Abdulaziz Al Khumais. It begins with Othello questioning Desdemona about the handkerchief he had given her, entering into a struggle with her. The handkerchief transforms into a symbol of human relationships affected by the words of others, so the puppets hide the handkerchief and play with the couple, and the fire of simple suspicions devours the great love. The loss of this handkerchief becomes the loss of the last chance to save this relationship.
The tragedy reaches its climax at the end of the performance. The actors on stage use a physical language that does not rely solely on dialogue, so the energy of the body prevails over the text, to draw the dagger of doubt and stab the spiritual suffering and kill the love.
The author, Salem Al Tamimi, relied on dense dialogue and the eloquence of the image, succeeding in re-telling this human story where the husband kills his wife, but not in a traditional way, because deep down, it seems as if he is killing his image and all forms of fear and jealousy, or as if he is shattering the last puppet he made. The ending is a shout but without noise, confirming that relationships are not destroyed by silence, but by the repeated whisper that breaks them slowly.
About the work, the lead actor and director, Abdullah Sanqur, spoke to "Al-Ittihad" saying: "I tried, through the directorial vision and by relying on the puppets, to highlight the impact of people's interference and their words on human relationships, and how they succeed in ruining the tranquility of the greatest love stories." Sanqur thanked "Dubai Culture" for giving youth the platform to present their creations, praising the festival's presentation in an outdoor space, confirming his keenness to use the space differently, especially since the circular theater requires the actor to perform with his whole body. He noted that his work on directing and acting at the same time received the support of his theater friends, who were like a third eye to present the work in the best form.
While actress Sarah Al Mazmi talked about her role as Desdemona, saying: "The character carries a lot of emotions, and the play's story touches people. We started preparing for the play about two weeks ago, but what distinguished the work was the chemistry among the team." She pointed out that the circular stage helps in presenting the play in a freer way, and that the understanding between the actors removes all challenges and obstacles, describing this role as one of the distinctive roles that gave her space and an opportunity to prove herself. As for the author of the play, Salem Al Tamimi, he pointed out that it was his first experience in youth theater, as his previous experiences were in children's theater, considering this festival a real birth for him as a writer for youth. He stressed that "preparing a text for Shakespeare carried many difficulties, but I deliberately re-wrote the story with a different vision on the lips of the puppets," emphasizing that the message he wants to leave for people is to pay attention to the impact of third parties on human relationships.
Performance and Music
The Dubai Youth Performing Arts Festival featured many musical pieces. Russian pianist Maria Mazzerani participated with musical pieces, saying about them: "It is my first time participating in the festival, I play the piano daily, and I am happy with this participation, especially since the festival carries a lot of diversity." Maria, who is 12 years old, started playing when she was five years old, and five years ago started learning to play the violin as well. She represents the Dubai National Youth Orchestra, stressing that she will continue her journey of passion for music until it becomes her profession.
