Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 20/06/2026 20:52:00

A studio theatre within the arts centre at the Mall of the Emirates, the Playhouse is a small performance venue on the upper level of the landmark Dubai shopping mall in Al Barsha. It forms part of the community arts complex housed there. The Mall of the Emirates, best known for its indoor ski slope, also hosts a dedicated arts centre with theatre and studio spaces used for performance and learning. The Playhouse is one of these performance rooms. As an intimate studio theatre, it is suited to small-scale plays, recitals, comedy, workshops and community productions rather than large touring shows. Its size brings audiences close to the performers. The venue supports the centre's programme of drama, music and arts education, providing a stage for student showcases, amateur companies and visiting performers. This gives it a strong community focus. Its location inside one of the city's busiest malls makes it unusually accessible for a theatre, with shopping, dining and a cinema all under the same roof. Parking and the metro serve the mall directly. Performances at the studio are typically ticketed per event, with a changing calendar reflecting the centre's mix of in-house and visiting productions. The space can also be hired for rehearsals and events. Set within Al Barsha on Sheikh Zayed Road, the mall and its arts centre draw audiences from across the surrounding districts. The Playhouse adds a cultural dimension to a venue best known for retail and leisure. For a city where theatre spaces are relatively few, the studio provides an accessible stage for smaller productions within an everyday, easy-to-reach setting. By placing a working theatre inside a major shopping mall, the venue makes live performance unusually easy to drop in on, helping it nurture local talent and community productions in a city short of dedicated stages.