Acting up in Prelude to a Kiss

Craig Lucas’ Prelude to a Kiss being presented by Dubai’s Backstage Theatre Group

Live theatre is alive and well this week as the city’s Backstage Dubai Theatre Group present Prelude to a Kiss  on April 30, May 1 and 2 at DUCTAC, Mall of the Emirates.

We speak to lead actor Asad Raza Khan to find out more about the play and local theatre as a whole.

 

What is the play about?

In most cases the happily-ever-after ends in a whirlwind wedding filled with love, however this marks just the beginning of Prelude to a Kiss. The play follows a young couple’s journey whose love is put through the ultimate test when an innocent kiss by an elderly man carries a magical charge changing their lives, resulting in total upheaval. In a perfectly blended mix of fantasy and reality, the play provides an all new spin on the traditional marriage vows of ‘for better or worse’ when the soul of the bride gets exchanged with an unknown elderly man testing the couple’s commitment to love and paradoxically to its durability. 

 

Asad Raza Khan with his co-stars in Prelude to a Kiss 

Why did you decide to put on this production?

The director of the play, Brent Jenkins, is a romantic at heart and is one of Dubai’s leading stand up comedians. He wanted to pick a play which would appeal to both these human emotions and yet be true to the art form. Hence - Prelude to a Kiss.

 

Tell us more about your theatre group. How did you all get together?

Backstage Dubai is the UAE’s largest and most active community theatre group. It was founded in 2009 to enhance and promote local talent with an aim of giving back to the society as well. To date we have performed over 70 productions including full length, short plays and participation in festivals. Recently they bagged best Independent Theatre Company at the Short + Sweet theatre festival in Dubai for the second year running.

 

How do you find the theatrical landscape in Dubai? Is there an easy route for enthusiasts to get into doing plays? Are local theatres helpful?

Theatre in Dubai is still in its infancy but is growing fast. The country is attracting a lot of international productions and also expanding in cultural events. However, we have a long way to go. Local theatre is the best stepping stone for anyone in the UAE who has a passion for it. This could be from writing, directing, acting to helping out backstage. The quality is very high and is a very good forum for learning, growth and exposure. However I feel the top members of this fraternity should be given a chance to taking this professionally etc so that more people are encouraged to joining this as a career path on top of it being recreational.

 

When did you decide acting was going to be part of your life and (if so) what is your day job?

Personally I have been acting since the age of seven. My first production was a musical with Disney for Kids here in Dubai done by Dubai Culture. I played the lead in Aladdin and have been hooked since. I have performed in India, Pakistan, the UAE, the UK and Switzerland. I have won the best Actor in Dubai Award twice now since I moved back here three years ago. As part of my day job I lead a brand for a multi-national company.

 

What do your families/ co-workers think of your acting? Do they regularly come see you?

They are very supportive of it and love to see me on stage. The circle is not only limited to friends and family but also to theatre enthusiasts who come every time round to show their appreciation and support.

 

What needs to improve in the UAE for theatre to improve? How could this be achieved?

The largest challenge community theatre is facing in Dubai is financial and attracting new audience members. We need more corporations to step up and support local theatre as productions have very high costs varying from venue, costumes, set etc. Note that none of the actors or crew members get paid. If the financial plug is filled then a) the ticket prices can be reduced and b) more productions can be encouraged.

 

How often does your group put on productions and how do you pick the right time to do so?

We have four full-length productions a year and multiple shorter ones. For the full-length plays we perform in October, November, April and May. If new directors come up and want to stage a production, we normally encourage them to start of with smaller plays. Once we have three or four directors ready we put up an evening of short plays but that is need based.

 

Is your group open to new members and how can they get involved?

We always encourage and appreciate new members to join our team. This can vary from actors, backstage helpers or people who just want to be part of the production/experience. They can either take part by coming to our auditions (which we announce broadly) or get in touch with us on info@backstagedubai.com or our facebook page www.facebook.com/BackstageDubai/info.