Salman Qureshi talks about four roles in seven plays at Dubai’s Shorter+Sweeter festival

Salman Qureshi plays several roles at the Shorter+Sweeter festival. Christopher Pike / The National

Stand-up comedian Salman Qureshi will be a quick-change artist as he dons many costumes for a range of different roles in four of the seven short plays being staged during the Shorter+Sweeter festival this weekend – including body-hugging Elizabethan-era tights.

Qureshi stars in Romeo and Juliet, written by Vikram Ahuja and Hananah Zaheer, Friends and Colleagues, by Clifford Single, Somewhere Between the Sky and the Sea, by Alex Broun, and No. 22, by Adele Vuko.

We asked him about the challenges of playing so many roles in quick succession.

What are the different characters you will be playing at the festival?

Shorter+Sweeter will have a core team of five or six actors who will be playing all the roles from all the plays that will be presented. In Friends and Colleagues, which is a black comedy that many people will relate to, I play a senior manager whose colleague is upset that he was passed over for a job. In Somewhere Between the Sky and the Sea, I am playing a musician in love with two girls and the whole fiasco around it. I'm playing the narrator and multiple characters in Romeo and Juliet, a comedy about trying to stage this great work of Shakespeare, and messing it up with everything going horribly wrong.

Are you the funnyman in all the plays?

Yes. I think I’m typecast. But that might be too strong a word because I enjoy these roles. People see me do comedy all the time, so I don’t think anyone can take me seriously any more.

From stand-up to acting, how do you rate the challenge?

I find acting easier because someone else has written the script and you are usually with a cast, as against a monologue in stand-up. There is much less pressure on you because you are hiding behind a character. Stand-up is a bit more naked as the best comedy comes from your life experiences. You are trying to get the audience to laugh by putting yourself out there and if you fail, you know immediately because no one is laughing. Having said that, I enjoy and respect the challenges of theatre.

What do you think about the concept of a 10-minute play?

It is a great opportunity for people who are new to theatre and want to give this sample format a go instead of committing to an hour-long play. It also gets local artists and writers inspired. Short+Sweet was a much-needed platform and I’m glad it’s here.

Tell us about your costumes in these plays?

It's unique in the sense we will be on stage pretty much the entire time and so will have quick costume changes between plays. My favourite is the one I wear in Romeo and Juliet because it is silly. I'm a man in tights and it wasn't comfortable the first time around – but fun. When we did it the first time I did not have boots to go with the costume and had to borrow women's boots from the writer, Hananah. They worked because our costumes were bright, but they crushed my feet. I'll be getting my own boots this time.

• Shorter+Sweeter is on Thursday at 8pm and on Friday at 3pm and 8pm at Madinat Theatre, Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai. Tickets start at Dh100. To book, visit madinatjumeirah.etixdubai.com