Tara Young, 49, is artistic director of La Perle, a groundbreaking permanent show in Al Habtoor City, Dubai. The Canadian debuted as a performer on New York's Broadway aged 18 in a show with Cabaret star Liza Minnelli. Ms Young worked with LA Opera, New York City Opera, New York City Ballet and as artistic director of Michael Jackson's The Immortal world tour before former Cirque du Soleil creative Franco Dragone hired her his China show and then La Perle. She tells The National about her colourful week.
SUNDAY
It’s our day of rest – Tara Day. We don’t have shows on Sundays and Mondays. I try not to answer emails or deal with the show. I get a massage and love my spinning class. I wake up and swim lengths. I got here today because everything I do is preparation, a lot of hard work, setting very clear intentions and then I get fortunate enough to meet an opportunity.
MONDAY
Offices here (in the UAE) are at work. I tend to be back on email, but I’m still at home. You can get 50 to 100 a day, anything from the schedule plan for the next year to events that need to happen. Marketing is integral because there’s no show without the business side; that’s why they call it show business. As artistic director, you’re maintaining the integrity of the show. I have 88 people on the artistic team working with me to make this show what it is. I usually have a nice dinner.
TUESDAY
I do something active every day. I live in Business Bay, ride my bike to/from work along the canal. I get in by 9am or 10am. Tuesday through Saturday are 12 to 14-hour days. Tuesday is a rehearsal day, to rehearse new things. The cast is in about noon, will work eight to 10 hours. We have an incredible performer wellness department that takes care of their bodies. I probably watch three or four shows a week; if somebody is going into a new act I will watch. I do planning for the following week; there are costume fittings, new make-up being tried, physiotherapy…it’s a jigsaw puzzle to put together. Tuesdays are big meeting days: with executives to learn about scheduling, ticket sales. I meet my direct supervisor, dissect that information. There’s another meeting with department heads, then the full cast.
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Read more:
Dubai Ruler watches La Perle with son and daughter
First look: Dubai's La Perle performers take to the stage
Exclusive glimpse into La Perle theatre - Dubai's first resident show
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WEDNESDAY
I never get bored – there’s always a new challenge. The wardrobe department, stage management, coaching department, performer wellness department and choreography; that’s all under the umbrella of the artistic director. And then 65 performers. It’s a maintenance job. I report directly to Franco Dragone, (speak) weekly and whenever I need to. Wednesday we have two shows, 7pm and 9.30pm, so we start training 1.30pm or 2pm. I come in two to three hours before because there are interviews. I sit down with the marketing department. I might watch the first show. If something needs to be fixed for the second, we fix it.
THURSDAY
Wednesday and Thursday are similar days in terms of rehearsal. I got here over a year ago and we started in a training facility for six months. Then we came to the theatre to create the show. A Broadway show would have 35 maximum people on stage, this has nearly doubled. Their acrobatic feats are really intense, plus high diving from over 20 metres into a very small pool. To do these kind of shows your eyes have to be open, a lot can happen. To help me be better at my job, I talk to these guys, understand what they are doing. We’ve 23 nationalities. Most speak English. We’ve had to teach English to a few. It’s interesting to work with people from lots of different cultures and places. Personal situations come up. We have a full HR department, but a lot of them will come to me.
FRIDAY
No emails; sales and marketing and other divisions of the company aren’t working. I bring a little Broadway and teach tap, just for fun, then we do rehearsals. I get informed from our executive producer the big goals, landmarks they want to make, big groups that are coming. There are sometimes talkbacks I need to be involved in. We have tours backstage with members of the audience and influencers. I like doing tours if needed. I feel responsibility to share with everybody what we’re doing, help people understand and interest them to come see us. There’s a team that deals with front of house. We’re selling really well, but the goal is to get the word out there even more. Ultimately (accounts) will involve me in the artistic budget, and I have to manage it.
SATURDAY
We have early shows: 4pm and a 7pm. Everybody gets to be out of the building by 8.30pm. You can go have dinner. Right now we’re training, building, to do 10 shows a week. We’ll be doing that January 9. 1 walk around every day. I’m not somebody who sits in my office. I carry my phone, work as I go. There’s one master schedule I oversee, so I need to know where everybody is. The sales department does big group sales. We want people in the seats; that’s our business model. There’s a huge investment, not only the initial cost to build the show and theatre, but operational investment. We ultimately want to keep attracting people to Dubai.
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Don't get fined
The UAE FTA requires following to be kept:
- Records of all supplies and imports of goods and services
- All tax invoices and tax credit notes
- Alternative documents related to receiving goods or services
- All tax invoices and tax credit notes
- Alternative documents issued
- Records of goods and services that have been disposed of or used for matters not related to business
Fund-raising tips for start-ups
Develop an innovative business concept
Have the ability to differentiate yourself from competitors
Put in place a business continuity plan after Covid-19
Prepare for the worst-case scenario (further lockdowns, long wait for a vaccine, etc.)
Have enough cash to stay afloat for the next 12 to 18 months
Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses
Be prepared to use Covid-19 as an opportunity for your business
* Tips from Jassim Al Marzooqi and Walid Hanna
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Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Bundesliga fixtures
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
RESULTS
2pm: Maiden Dh 60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m. Winner: Masaali, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap Dh 76,000 (D) 1,400m. Winner: Almoreb, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
3pm: Handicap Dh 64,000 (D) 1,200m. Winner: Imprison, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
3.30pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh 100,000 (D) 1,000m. Winner: Raahy, Adrie de Vries, Jaber Ramadhan.
4pm: Maiden Dh 60,000 (D) 1,000m. Winner: Cross The Ocean, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
4.30pm: Handicap 64,000 (D) 1,950m. Winner: Sa’Ada, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash.
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
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- Tower Hamlets, London
Indian origin executives leading top technology firms
Sundar Pichai
Chief executive, Google and Alphabet
Satya Nadella
Chief executive, Microsoft
Ajaypal Singh Banga
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Chief executive, chairman, and president, Adobe
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Board of directors, Amazon and former chief executive, PepsiCo
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The biog
DOB: 25/12/92
Marital status: Single
Education: Post-graduate diploma in UAE Diplomacy and External Affairs at the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: I love fencing, I used to fence at the MK Fencing Academy but I want to start again. I also love reading and writing
Lifelong goal: My dream is to be a state minister
'Nope'
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."