From the Page to the Stage, workshops to prepare aspiring actors for the stage Doha, March 14th, 2012: As part of the ongoing partnership between Katara, the Cultural Village and the British Council, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) held performing arts workshops in Doha for the first time at Katara, attracting over 30 attendees. Based on the constant progress of building cultural relations in the Art sector, specifically in the field of Drama between Qatar and the United Kingdom, Katara and the British Council gave performing arts enthusiasts the chance to be trained by Christopher Heimann and Nona Shepphard, specialists from RADA. Workshops were attended by amateurs, beginners as well as professional actors. All participants were awarded with certificates presented to them by Dr Emad Sultan, Cultural Affairs Director, Katara, Simon Winetroube Director of the British Council Qatar. Mr Simon Winetroube, the British Council Director said, “It’s a pleasure to partner with Katara again, so soon after our successful Akram Khan dance performance. This is a different kind of event, but, once again, we have been able to bring a world renowned organisation to Qatar, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA). Capacity building workshops are an equally important component in our collaboration with Katara. They complement the eye-catching events and performances which capture the attention of the wider public by offering development opportunities for those who want to engage more closely with the arts and with UK expertise. Together, the capacity building workshops and public performances develop an understanding and interest in these art forms in Qatar and build the relationship between the UK sector and the burgeoning arts scene here in Doha.” The workshops armed actors with the skills required to achieve and present the scene out of the written pages straight to the stage. They were trained on ways to address written text and convert it into representative and expressive themes that serve the basic idea of the text, by learning the technical representation and act of the scenes. The workshops equipped actors with the tools needed to achieve and present the scene out of the written pages straight to the real life stage, and moreover give them an understanding of the basic principles, focussing on proper planning for the construction of the scene through teamwork and an assembly of creative and group exercises. Dr Emad Sultan, Cultural Affairs Director, Katara commented, “This is an excellent opportunity for young aspiring actors to take this chance to learn the skills needed to become successful actors. Once again, we are proud to collaborate with the British Council and RADA to deliver these workshops which contribute to our wider vision of nurturing local talents, providing them with the tools they need to achieve their dreams.” RADA has entered to the Middle East under the British Council's program "New Work New Audiences" that supports innovation in the cultural sectors of the Middle East and the UK. This project brings fresh and stimulating contemporary British art work to new audiences, promoting joint ventures between artists and arts organisations in the UK and the Middle East. The program provides people with the opportunity to experience arts including theatre, dance, literature, music and visual arts. RADA is a leading performing arts school based in the UK which offers a wide range of vocational training for actors, stage managers, directors, designers and technical stage craft specialists.

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