Short+Sweet Dubai 2025

1. CINDY & JULIE

Cindy and Julie meet in a waiting room and discuss the trials and tribulations of their “happily ever after”.

Writer: Bruce Kane

ITC: ITACA

Director: Ensemble

Cast: Stefania Maglietti (Cindy), Alice Antoniotti (Julie), Cristiana Maierna (Woman) & Clementiana Materazzo (Young Girl)

2. THE TIME TRAVELLERS

A group of friends discover the future could be as unsettling as the past.

Writer: Coco Diamond

ITC: Fresco Formation

Director: Ensemble

Cast: Coco Diamond (Narrator), Asia Sofia Favretto (Emma), Aya Abultaif (Roya), Rosa Beinhoff (Delilah), Halo Diamond (Tomi), Bee D’Arcy (Trex / Alex), Mira Naz Bingol (Trex / Alex), Lucy McBurnie (Trex / Alex), Anoushka Pinto (Alex), Benjamin Bahmani (Alex / Bart), Leopold Beinhoff (Alex / Kurt), Damir Salikhov (Russian Boy) & Zara Dayekh (Chinese Girl)

3. THE BAG OF DREAMS

Six beggars discover a mysterious bag in a park, sparking dreams of escape—only to confront harsh truths, broken illusions, and the unyielding cycle of hope and despair.

Writer: Raneem Riman

ITC: The Junction Academy

Director: Ensemble

Cast: Peter (Salim), Rajiv (Farid), Ayira (Laila), Jankeh (Zed), Sudhir Syal (Omar) & Karthik (Hassan)

4. THE CIRCLE

A group comes together for a therapy session, each carrying their own struggles. But as the session unfolds, the lines between who needs help and who’s giving it start to blur in unexpected ways.

Writer: Yayah Abouzeid

ITC: Prologue Productions   

Director: Yayah Abouzeid

Cast: Yahya Abouzeid, Mohamed Bassiouny, Khaled Hafez, Samaa Eltawil, Nada Hatem, Sandy Hany & Amr Shuman

5. THE AUDIENCE

Uncover the pre-show musings of five audience members as they attend a seemingly ordinary play. Little do they know, an unexpected twist awaits when one unseen actor decides to bare it all, sparking a frenzy among the audience.

Writer: Bruce Kane

ITC: The American School of Dubai

Director: Melissa Dertian, Nicole Bryant, and Liz Strootman

Cast: Chloe Shammas (Audience), Daud Khan (Ted), Davis McMillan (Audience), Emitis Laghaee (Fran), Maya Cuddy (Liz), Tayma Saqfelhait (Helen) & William White (Dan)

6.  DAN – PILOT EPISODE

Based on audience suggestion the troupe will improvise a short play framed and structured as a TV show pilot to help Dan achieve his dream!

Writer: Ahmed Yousif

ITC: Improv.ae

Director: Victoria

Cast: Ahmed, Victoria, Arman, Marina, Moe, Reem, Nikhil, Magdalina & Hasher

7.  TEA FOR TERROR

Welcome to the support group, TeaTotallers Anonymous, where recovering tea addicts can share their stories and relax in a calm friendly environment with other recovering tea addicts.

Writer: Robert Luxford

Director: Kehkashan Anand

Cast: Brittany Wood (Rebecca), Glenn Atkinson (Tim), ?? (Kendra), Anna-Maryam Faisal (Samantha), Gabriella Ioana (Detective MacQueen) & Keenan McFadzean (Uniformed Patrol Cop)

8. HULA HOPE

Through hula hoops and heartache, a young woman spins between love, loss, and the vastness of the universe.

Writer: Gaby Milky

ITC: Blinktonasia

Director: Ensemble

Cast: Sali the Faerie

9. CUBS WIN

Following the unexpected death of their beloved dentist, a die-hard Cubs fan, three gossipy friends gather to mourn and speculate. But as they delve into his life and their own, a chilling realization dawns: each woman harbors a secret that could make them the next subject of town gossip.

Writer: Marisa Smith

ITC: The American School of Dubai

Director: Melissa Dertian, Nicole Bryant, and Liz Strootman

Cast: Anandita Nevrekar (Aly), Suria Cramer (Becca), Tiantian Zhou (Coleen) & Zara Bhargava (Vicki)

10.  COUPLING*

A morning-after misunderstanding sparks a hilarious debate on intimacy, love, and modern relationships. As Carli and Dylan challenge each other’s beliefs, humor and vulnerability blur the lines—just a fling or something real?

Writer: Alan Brooks

Director: Priya Pinto

Cast: Harry Apostoleris (Dylan) & Jana Sabbagh (Carli)

11.  THE ACTOR’S VOW

In The Actors Vow, actors Victor and Maya reunite in a theater after fifteen years. As they reconnect, the stage is set once again for the games they still play.

Writer: Lydia De Souza

ITC: Cross Bronx Crew

Director: Sahar Ali

Cast: Meghana Mundkur (Maya) & Satya Baskaran (Victor)