The United Arab Emirates has long been making strides as the Gulf's cultural hub, with Sharjah in particular being named the cultural capital of the Mid-dle East. With performing and produc-tion arts becoming a key part of the country's tourism offerings, the one thing that has been missing or in short supply was the local talent and local education, which is what Sharjah Performing Arts Academy (SPAA) aims to supply. Born from His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah's vision, SPAA strives to provide students with the opportunity to study, practice and take part in developing professional performing and production arts in the region and inter-nationally.
An independent, non-profit, coeducational institution of higher education, SPAA promotes excellence in teaching and learning in a conservatoire. The institute fundamentally believes that the performing arts has the capacity to affect and benefit every single person. SPAA provides a comprehensive education for the professional performing artist and for production and technical creatives. "We encourage students to direct their natural gifts and abilities into developing the skills required for their chosen career. We provide students with specific and focused training and education, which includes individual coaching and mentoring by a dedicated, professionally qualified, motivated and caring staff ", says Prof. Peter Barlow, Executive Director.
Students who are a part of Sharjah Performing Arts Academy boast of its world-class facilities, as it brings talent from all over the globe to teach and collaborate. The network that they become exposed to and immersed in is huge, and carries so much potential for where and what they choose for their careers.
"Our outstanding new academy is a place that will nurture the skills of talented individuals and pave the way for their future on and off the world stage. We have set out to ensure that the most innovative teaching techniques will create Olympians of the performing arts world", says Professor Peter Barlow, Executive Director. Previously the Director of Guildford School of Acting and chair of the Conference of Drama Schools, Peter Barlow has been teaching and training actors, performers and theatre technicians for more than three decades.
Offering a Range of Courses
SPAA is unique in the MENA region. It is the only conservatoire style education and training where the programmes are taught in English so that students can gain an international perspective of professional performing arts. "Our students are training for a career in the creative industries in a time when the world needs the arts the most. Our innovative teaching techniques aim to shape and support the professional performing arts scene in the UAE and globally", says Professor Peter Barlow.
The college offers four-year, full-time BA degree programmes in acting, production arts and musical theatre as well as a three-year, full-time Trinity Level six Diploma in Professional Dance. Its dedicated, world-class, exceptional facilities set the institute apart as it solely caters to and focuses on the performing and production arts. The college facilities are as follows: 12 studios for dance, voice and acting classes; 12 studios dedicated to singing and sound recording; a Recording Studio; an extensive lending and reference library; a 432-seat main theatre; a 126-seat studio theatre; a backstage rehearsal hall; a green screen TV studio; costume and design workshops; carpentry and set building workshops; paint/scenic art workshops; as well as onsite student accommodation, gyms, offices, cafes, breakout areas and an exhibition gallery.
Performing arts and creatives includes all those involved in the collaborative process of making professional performance. Specifically, actors, musicians, singers, dancers, technicians, stage managers, designers, directors, choreographers, costume makers and lighting designers, for example. SPAA is known to expand concepts of intelligence beyond academic ability, and most importantly prepare students for professional work in the performing arts.
"SPAA is an institution built upon a foundation of passionate people who teach with the utmost quality, empathy and understanding. The standards of education and academia are unmatched, with a holistic learning model that would benefit any production artist or performer wanting to refine their skill set", shares Nadiah Tejani, BA Production Arts Student (Year 3).
Setting New Benchmarks
SPAA is known for breaking down barriers; imagination, creativity and innovation are not bound by borders or cultures, and live and recorded arts can help to share universal themes that concern all humanity. With professional employment in the performing arts world not only requiring talent, but also hard work and dedication, SPAA is stepping up to nurture the talent and commitment of its students, by using the best to produce the best. "At SPAA, we embrace, celebrate and encourage the creativity, diversity and unique talent of each student. However, it is more than just about the individual: SPAA understands the power that the performing arts can have in galvanising whole communities, creating a sense of connectedness through shared experiences, events and performances", speaksProfessor Peter Barlow, Executive Director.
SPAA has created a faculty of the best educators, directors, choreographers, designers, stage managers and technicians from around the world. Using the best facilities, SPAA teachers work intensively with performers and theatre technicians to hone their craft in readiness for the best chance of a successful career in the international performing arts arena. Having such a diverse group of industry professionals as tutors in the Academy, the students are exposed to real-world concepts and their learning is diversified to be current and international, not just region specific, allowing them to go in any direction they choose upon graduating, whether that is to remain in the region or explore internationally.
Marching towards a Promising Future
Sharjah Performing Arts Academy has a dedicated Student Services Team and Operations Team which includes its Student Accommodation Team that is here to specifically help the students during their transition into the academy, and also when they are ready to graduate and leave. "At SPAA we ensure that the full student experience, from application to graduation, is of the highest quality. This includes day-to-day operations within the academy, teaching and learning, assessment, student support and wellbeing, career counselling and student social activities. With the generosity of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, full and part scholarships are available to eligible students upon acceptance into the academy", says Jacqui George, Deputy Director. She further adds, "We do offer internship opportunities and look forward to opening those up to an international framework. We look forward to developing strong collaborative partnership with Bruce Guthrie at NCPA in Mumbai and hopefully paying a visit later this year and also continuing to work with Indian Artists such as Ayushi Gupta on `The First', a commissioned one woman play written by Hassan Abdulrazzak which will hopefully be performed again soon".
2023 will be a very important year for SPAA as its first ever cohort will be graduating. This does mean that SPAA currently does not have any alumni, however, they have had a notable list of collaborators and guest visits. "We have hosted shows and companies which are interwoven within the learning and curriculum; `The Girls with Incredibly Long Hair; Sharjapan; NT Live; StepAfrika; CohesionPlus; Broken Wings; Tarinn Callender; Mamma Mia; AXIS Dance Company; Dubai Opera, Expo 2020; Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival; Frantic Assembly; Broadway Entertainment Group just to name a few, we teach through doing, Praxis. This is the best way to learn and thrive. We create a mini-industry ecology within our beautiful building", explains Jacqui George, Deputy Director.
"We opened with only 8 students enrolled back in 2019 for our first year, we now have grown to have 160 students here at SPAA that join us from over 30 different countries. Our Faculty and Staff members are also incredibly diverse, which collectively with our students, we at SPAA almost represent 42 different nationalities. Our growth has been rapid, and we're ensuring that it is also done with longevity in mind. Despite the Covid pandemic, we were able to deliver on our strategy and goals and look forward to the next phase", signs off Jacqui George, Deputy Director, Sharjah Performing Arts Academy.
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