One of the positives to come out of the global pandemic is a move to digital in the arts world. As exhibitions, film festivals and major art fairs go virtual, culture lovers staying at home in the UAE have never had so many entertainment options to sort through.
Now, we have another one, as Marquee TV has officially launched in the UAE, offering on-demand streaming of performances from the Royal Opera House, the Bolshoi Ballet, the Royal Shakespeare Company and more.
What is Marquee TV?
The streaming platform originally launched in 2018, serving up a catalogue of contemporary and classic masterpieces, spanning dance, opera, music, theatre and documentary.
We're thrilled to bring Marquee TV to the UAE, giving customers access to premier multi-genre performing arts content that is not available on any other platform
It was designed for a growing digital audience of arts enthusiasts, who had been historically underserved by other platforms.
The network features hours of content, including exclusive titles, behind-the-scenes snippets, early releases and directors’ cuts.
You can stream the content in a number of ways: on your flat screen through Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV; via your mobile phone, as the platform is available on both iOS and Android; or straight from its website, where you can also manage your subscription and buy gift cards.
“After successful launches in the UK, US, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, we’re thrilled to bring Marquee TV to the UAE, giving customers access to premier multi-genre performing arts content that is not available on any other platform,” said Simon Walker, the platform’s co-founder and chief executive.
To subscribe in the UAE, it costs Dh29.99 per month or Dh299.99 per year. At the moment, there’s a deal of 30 per cent off on annual subscriptions (Dh209.99) for your first year, plus new subscribers get the first 14 days of access for free.
What shows can you watch?
Programming includes globally acclaimed productions, from Bolshoi Ballet's Sleeping Beauty, featuring Svetlana Zakharova and David Hallberg, to Royal Shakespeare Company's Richard II, starring David Tennant.
The UAE audience can also access the Akram Khan Collection, including Giselle, Sacred Monsters, Zero Degrees and The Six Seasons.
Every Saturday, a new release also premieres on the platform.
Here are some we still have to look forward to this month:
'Mayerling' by Royal Opera House (The Royal Ballet)
Saturday, June 13
Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s ballet is inspired by true events and widely believed to be one of the choreographer’s finest works. It’s a production that tells of dangerous desires, family secrets and political intrigues through daring, legendary dance moves. This iteration is The Royal Ballet’s most recent staging from the Autumn 2018 / 2019 season.
'Cendrillon' (Cinderella) by Glyndebourne
June 20
This operatic fairy tale looks to Charles Perrault’s original story of the sweet-natured girl who lives the life of a servant with her cruel stepmother and stepsisters. Transformed by a fairy godmother overnight, she heads to the royal ball to capture the heart of a prince. This contemporary staging led by top stars from Glyndebourne, the opera house in East Sussex, combines the enchanting love story with burlesque comedy and beautiful music from Jules Massenet.
'Ibsen’s Ghosts' by the Norwegian National Ballet
June 27
This iteration of Henrik Ibsen's drama Ghosts is a psychological thriller told through evocative modern dance by talents of the Norwegian National Ballet. Protagonist Oswald Alving returns to small-town Norway after living a bohemian existence in Paris, France. Back home, he uncovers mysterious family secrets, as well as some of his own.
More information is at www.marquee.tv
Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
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What are the regulations?
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England squads for Test and T20 series against New Zealand
Test squad: Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes
T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Pat Brown, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, James Vince
360Vuz PROFILE
Date started: January 2017
Founder: Khaled Zaatarah
Based: Dubai and Los Angeles
Sector: Technology
Size: 21 employees
Funding: $7 million
Investors: Shorooq Partners, KBW Ventures, Vision Ventures, Hala Ventures, 500Startups, Plug and Play, Magnus Olsson, Samih Toukan, Jonathan Labin
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
How to turn your property into a holiday home
- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
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Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier