STAR TOO - Are You There

STAR TOO is an experimental theatre project based in Dubai. I've been missing their shows over the past few years, but I hope I don't miss their sixth and latest production, Are You There, taking place at The Fridge on 17th and 18th May.

Jules Verne’s lost novel is alive and well in Dubai with the STAR TOO Experimental Theatre troupe breathing life into the book entitled Paris in the 20th Century in an original creation called ARE YOU THERE.

This May 17th and 18th at The Fridge, Al Serkal Avenue, performers in both Dubai and Paris will give a live and interactive rendition of this true-to-life sci-fi novel.

The evening is set to be an underground, animated lecture in a classroom setting, hosted by a cast of artists struggling to preserve the humanities that do not serve “the age’s industrial aims” of a not-so-distant future society.

According to the STAR TOO's blog, Are You There is not a play a traditional play, but a series of themes presented by fictional characters inspired by Jules Verne’s book, blurring the lines between a performance and a presentation.

The playing space becomes a platform for learning, sharing ideas, and reconnecting with other human beings. The cast has several surprises in store including live feeds, audience interaction, and a possibly different ending to this gathering depending on spectator vote.

The idea is that performers are characters holding a covert meeting with the audience, maybe the last of its kind. And it might not be far from the truth. Ironically, much like what Verne predicted, and proving that even the classics can disappear, his novel must not have sold enough and, after consulting the Societé Jules Verne in France, it is now out of print.

Are You There trailer