‘It’s all been done before’, a collection of short plays, comes to The Junction

‘The Tragic Queen’ is a ten-minute musical following two heiresses to a kingdom who must overcome politics and love for the throne.

Some stories are so good they have to be told over and over again. So it is with the production It’s all been done before, an evening that will see eight plays by Dubai-based playwright Sanjeev Dixit take the stage.

The compendium of plays, which runs at The Junction, Al Serkal Avenue, from September 1 to 3, weaves through genres as it does narratives.

Ahead of the showcase, we spoke to Dixit about what the evenings have in store for the Dubai audience.

But first, what are these plays about?

The Monkey's Paw: Adapted from a short story by W.W. Jacobs, this is a story of a family whose lives are altered when an old friend brings a strange talisman to their door.

Flare up at 311: A couple’s dispute about selling one home and moving to another neighbourhood offers insight into relationships.

It's All Been Done Before: A beleaguered writer struggles to finish his script while the characters keep interrupting.

I Am: Inspired by real events, the play follows the journey of a girl growing up in a traditional society.

The Tragic Queen: A ten-minute musical following two heiresses to a kingdom who must overcome politics and love for the throne.

Janus: A second generation immigrant faces uncomfortable competition from someone 'fresh off the boat'.

Garçon: Three men happen to meet at a café, each waiting for that special someone. But who is she?

Tréteau: An amalgamation of inspirations and ideas, Tréteau is a frenetic distillation of the overarching love of the theatre as an artform.

A kaleidoscope of type

Inspired by real events, ‘I Am’ follows the journey of a girl growing up in a traditional society.

The plays then have not much in common, other than having been written by Dixit. They run the gambit of genres, from comedy to drama. “The genres of the plays range from comedies and dramedies to tragedies to farces, socially relevant pieces, musicals and even what amounts to a horror-suspense piece. So, I guess the only thing connecting them is that I've written them. The oldest of these plays was written in 2011 and the most recent in 2016,” explains Dixit.

 Well, that, and the fact that they’ve been staged before in Dubai.

As for the inspiration behind the stories, Dixit explains that magic of thought; the spark of an idea comes lightning fast, sometimes when you least expect it. “Each of these plays has such varied influences. One of the plays, I Am, is inspired by a real event and by the conversations I heard all around and on various media. Somehow the only way I could process my thoughts on it was by writing a play about it. The Tragic Queen is my attempt at a musical in 10 minutes or so. The first play I ever wrote is Garçon and in many ways it embodies my approach and my style, or at least the beginnings of it. Tréteau remains one of my most popular pieces and it is just a barrage of all my influences and the magic I felt was possible only on stage.”

Passion project

Eight productions in a single evening sounds exhausting, and Dixit concedes it’s been challenging bringing everything together, especially since the cast and crew have day jobs. “The sheer logistics of the almost 40 team members coordinating eight plays and getting them to still coalesce as a whole, well. But I always say, you can't love the theatre (as an actor or creator) if you don't love rehearsals. And for me, the rehearsal process is always the most rewarding.

Meet the cast of ‘It’s all been done before’.

“All of us pursue this as a passion and make time for it away from the very real commitments and responsibilities of work and family. Ultimately though, it only serves to make the process and indeed the result all the more rewarding. You don't really find the time, you make it.”

But like all theatre folk, he is quick to add that all the work is worth it when the audience sends out a cheer. “Ultimately, what any performer or creator hopes is that the audience will engage with the show. That they will have a great time; laugh, cry, think, wonder, and hopefully carry home a little bit of the theatre in their hearts.”

Some stories must be told over and over again. Are these eight part of that crew? Judge for yourself.

The details

Tickets to see ‘It’s all been done before’ at The Junction between September 1 and 3 start at Dh80. Tickets are available at Platinumlist.net