MANILA, Philippines – More than 500 media representatives from all over the world are flocking to Sharjah, United Arab Emirates (UAE) to cover the grand celebration of Sharjah as Islamic Culture Capital 2014 and premier of “The Clusters of Light” theatrical performance.
“This show is a message from Sharjah to the world. With more than 500 media now in attendance, we will have the ideal platform to transmit that message to the four corners of the globe,” Sheikh Ahmed bin Sultan al Qassimi, Chairman of the Executive Committee for the Sharjah Islamic Culture Capital 2014 celebrations, said in a statement Friday.
“It goes on to tell the story of Islam’s great early accomplishments. We are confident that the audience, and the 500 attendant media, will witness a show so spectacular as to be engraved in their memories forever,” he said.
The venue of the performance is the newly constructed Al Majaz Island Amphitheater that can seat around 4,500 people and is deemed “the first venue of its kind in the region.”
The ancient Roman-style theatre is built in the 7,200 square meter Al Majaz Island at a cost of $38 million (AED140 million) and “features a vast viewing platform, through which artists ascend, as well as a state-of-the-art audio system,” the statement said.
More than 300 actors will participle in the performance of “The Clusters of Light” from Arab and foreign countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, and many others.
The performance will last one hour and 42 minutes and there will be five performances throughout the celebrations from March 26, the premier, up to April 5.
Famed artists such as composer Khalid Al Sheikh from Bahrain, and singers such as Hussain Al Jasmi from UAE, Lotfi Bouchnak from Tunisia, Ali Hajjar from Egypt, and Mohammed Assaf from Palestine, will highlight the performance.
“Through song, drama and spectacular stagecraft, the oratorio tells the story of the Prophet Muhammad from his birth until his death,” the statement said.
“It is already being called one of the most significant works in decades for the advancement and propagation of Islam’s true values of peace and love,” it said.
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