In a world dictated by unlimited scrolling and screen-time, spending 20 weeks painstakingly preparing for a 40-minute showcase on stage feels almost rebellious. Yet, that is exactly what is happening in Al Quoz this month.
The Hive Theatre Festival, Dubai’s largest free theatre festival for children, is back for another blockbuster edition at @play. Bringing together hundreds of young performers across multiple weekends, the festival is a massive logistical feat powered by a dedicated team of 20 full-time employees and 40 teen volunteers and freelancers.
Together, they mount more than 60 plays where every costume is hand-sewn, every set piece is custom-built and every single line is polished over five months of intense rehearsals.
For Malavika Varadan, TEDx speaker, former radio host and managing director at The Hive, the sheer ephemeral nature of live theatre is the ultimate antidote to today’s digital saturation.
“It always strikes me as such a commentary on the state of the world today that we rehearse for 20 weeks for a show that will only last 40 minutes, that will only live once,” Varadan shares. “That’s in a world where a click can write you a book! It’s incredibly important, I think, to teach kids this lesson.”
A love letter to literature
While previous editions of the festival have explored varied themes, the 2026 lineup is a deliberate, fierce defense of the written word. This year features four plays, Alivebrary, Matilda, Overthrow a Student Government and The Seussification of a Midsummer Night’s Dream, running for multiple showtimes.
“This year’s festival is all about the written word and a love for literature,” says Varadan, noting that the plays deliberately emphasise the importance of asking questions and challenging the status quo. “This is a festival about why we need to keep reading, and therefore, thinking and asking questions.”
Ultimately, the curation serves as a reminder of what the human mind can do when stripped of digital distractions. “That reading matters, that books matter, that children need stories as much as they need food and water,” says Varadan. “That things happen in your imagination before they happen in reality and that’s why we need to imagine worlds beyond our own lived realities. That we can’t lose the ability to create and question and play to a screen.”
1,200 stories of transformation
What started years ago as a modest drama class has evolved into a thriving performing arts ecosystem in the UAE. Over the years, The Hive has taught close to 1,200 children, says Varadan, and according to her, that represents “1,200 stories of transformation.”
The impact of the rehearsals extends far beyond the stage lights, flowing into how these children carry themselves at home and in school. “We have students who did not speak for weeks in a class and then go up on a stage at the end of term and pull off a whole scene,” Varadan says. “We have students who come from difficult childhoods and tough lives, who need this one hour to be someone else when it’s hard to be themselves.”
Many of those kids have gone on to turn their time at The Hive into full-fledged careers in acting, writing, law, and journalism.
Winning the attention war
As parents increasingly struggle to pull their children away from tablets and social media feeds, the festival offers a glimpse into how live performance can still outcompete a screen.
“In a world where children’s fingers are constantly swiping for a new video or a new piece of content, I’ve seen kids sitting in the front row at the festival with their chins cupped in their palms, eyes wide and completely hooked for an hour,” Varadan says. “Every time I see that happen — and it happens at every show — I know theatre can win the attention war.”
That realisation helped transform The Hive from an after-school programme into a broader movement for accessible arts education in the region. Varadan, who describes herself as a “product of theatre”, believes the lifelong lessons that drama teaches — collaboration, creativity, communication and community — belong to everyone, regardless of whether they end up on a stage, a red carpet or in a corporate boardroom.
“How can we expect them to build a future where the art form survives if they have never experienced a play?” she asks. “That’s why the goal is to make theatre accessible to everyone… every child, of every nationality, every age and every ability. Because stories are meant for all of us.”
So, for Dubai families deciding how to spend their weekends, Varadan urges them to swap the usual routine for a trip to the theatre.
“Your children don’t need another thing, they need another experience. They need a story that will stay with them, make them imagine and ask questions. The mall won’t miss you if you don’t show up, but we will.”
The Hive Theatre Festival runs every weekend this month at @play in Al Quoz. Admission is free. Families can view the schedule and reserve their spots through the festival’s official website.
Source: Khaleej Times