Hamour Doesn’t Leave the Cubicle | Written by Ahmed Al Madloum and Directed by Reem Almenhali

An absurd Emirati play about inconveniences in the workplace.

Rooted in Emirati culture through its workplace references and humor, but with universal resonances, Hamour Doesn’t Leave the Cubicle (هامور لا يغادر المكتب) is an absurd play that uses satire to critique real-life bureaucratic inconveniences faced by employees anywhere in the world. The play takes you to a world where the mundane meets the extraordinary, revealing different levels of bureaucracy that the characters navigate in every act, from writing an email to holding a funeral for a pen.

Thought-provoking and entertaining, performed in Arabic with English subtitles, Hamour Doesn’t Leave the Cubicle encourages viewers to re-evaluate work processes, emphasizing the power of humor as a tool for reflection.

Biographies

Reem Almenhali (Director)

Reem is an Emirati performance artist and a theater practitioner. Reem received a B.A in Theater with a minor in Psychology from New York University Abu Dhabi. Reem co-created Amulets of Palm with her collaborator Maitha Al-Suwaidi and showed it on Alserkal Avenue as part of their More Than Human festival. The performance used poetic and visual forms of fiction to capture the palm as a mystical soul, an abundant ground, and an entity. The performance later developed into a short film that was screened in Basel, Switzerland as part of the public programming of Art Basel. For Deliberately and in Cash, Reem wrote and directed the performance lecture on the history of the practice of collecting Diya money in the Gulf. Reem also wrote Al Raheel | Departure and co-created the performance in collaboration with the director Joanna Settle. The performance is a bilingual contemporary theater piece that explores how the rapidly evolving life in the UAE and its bilingual reality is experienced by women of different generations. Al Raheel was produced by The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi was co-commissioned by the Cultural Foundation in 2019, and received official support from the US Mission to the UAE in 2022. Reem won the 2020 Gulf Capital ADMAF Creativity Award for writing Al Raheel.

Ahmed Almadloum (Playwright)

Ahmed is a diversely skilled writer and journalist. Ahmed seamlessly blends his satirical commentary with his passion for technological innovation in his creative works, and literature. His substantial knowledge of technology, acquired through both formal education and self-directed learning, informs his approach to reimagining the art of writing.

Aida Allowch (Producer)

Aida Allowch holds a Bachelor's degree in Production Arts from Sharjah Performing Arts Academy and a training certificate in Stage Management from Dubai Opera. She has worked on internationally acclaimed shows such as The Lion King the Musical, Shrek the Musical, Mamma Mia the Musical, Urinetown the Musical, and Nimrod, written by His Highness Shaikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasmi. Additionally, she has experience as a trainer in Production and Stage Management in both Arabic and English.

Metha Naser Alsaeedi (Creative Consultant)

Metha Naser Alsaeedi is a skilled translator, editor, and creative/cultural advisor, with a strong academic and professional foundation in arts and culture. With a keen eye for detail and cultural nuances, she facilitates seamless communication and understanding across languages. Her experience in curating exhibitions, managing projects, and publications, and offering cultural and administrative insights makes her an ideal collaborator for creative and theatrical productions. Metha has a Bachelor's in Art and Art History and is currently pursuing a Master's in International and Civil Security. Metha worked on several world-renowned exhibitions and productions, she was the coordinator for Expo's Al Wasl Opera as well as its educational outreach initiatives.

Ruqaya Alhashimi (Set Designer)

Ruqaya is an Emirati architect and creative force with a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from Abu Dhabi University. Ruqaya was one of the winners of the Abu Dhabi Art Pavilion Prize in 2021. However, Ruqaya’s talents are not confined to architecture alone. Describing herself as a free creative,  Ruqaya resists the limitations of titles like designer, artist, or architect, finding them too constraining for her expansive skill set. Her love for creation and travel has fueled a multifaceted interest in design. With her strong foundation in architectural principles, Ruqaya is planning to delve into set design for theatrical productions, bringing along her unique expertise in spatial relationships and materials. Her flexibility and array of skills, ranging from familiarity with various design materials and tools to an innate sense of aesthetics, make her a versatile talent in both real and imagined spaces.

Carlos Páez (Lighting Designer)

Carlos is a multidisciplinary theater artist and game designer. His work focuses on creating new realities where audience participants explore new ways of being themselves and interacting with other humans and non-humans. Carlos has been involved in theater since the age of 13, performing in public venues with community groups in Venezuela and Abu Dhabi. Some of his recent works are After the Mountain Wildfires, a participatory live performance with a game-like structure presented at Dubai Expo 2020, and Dinos Rock, an immersive and interactive play for children. Carlos holds a BA in Theater from NYU Abu Dhabi and is currently an artist fellow in the Salama Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Emerging Artists Fellowship.

Mad-Rabdan (Actor playing Jashaa)

Mad-Rabdan is an Emirati actor. Being the middle child of seven, cartoon films and drawing helped him express himself better. At the age of 18, he started screen acting. Soon after, he became involved with nonprofit theater companies in Abu Dhabi while finishing his Bachelors and Masters in Finance. In 2020, he completed a year of conservatoire training in France. His first major role was Hamad in seasons 2 and 3 of the Emirati series, the Platform. Mad plays the lead in the independent film, Heen