– By Kareem Ali
I remember the first time my dad asked me about going to acting classes at the Courtyard Playhouse like it was yesterday.
I was relaxing on the couch. It was peaceful until my dad came up to me. He started talking about acting classes somewhere in Dubai. I wasn’t surprised, considering the fact that my parents had been trying to get me to go to classes since the start of my vacation. They wanted me to do football classes, swimming classes, cooking classes, padel tennis classes, and even kung fu!? All I wanted to do was sit at home and enjoy my vacation to get my mind off the evil that is school. But acting was different.
Unlike the other classes, acting was right up my alley. My brother even does commercials. Acting was literally in the family. And if I really committed to acting classes, I could finish them easily and get back to my relaxing vacation. I thought, “I literally do commercials. If I choose acting classes, I can get it over with in a second!”
So I told my dad, “Sure, why not?”
I decided to go to improv classes because I liked comedy, and if I was going to do something, I at least wanted to get some laughs out of it.
We arrived at the theatre. I walked up to the entrance, waved back at my dad, and went in.
The first person I got to know was Penny, the receptionist. She was really sweet and honestly felt different from all the other receptionists at those other classes. Anyway, I entered the room and there it was. Wait, no. Wrong room. I went back to Penny, and she gave me the right room. And there it was. My class.
I walked in and immediately noticed how lively the place was. We started playing games like Ninja, Virus, and I Am a Tree. Games I now love to play with my friends and family. I really thought it was going to be like all the other classes I had tried before, but it was so fun that I decided to go back the next week and the week after that. It was exciting meeting new people and learning improv. And that is when I met Angelica.
She needed an actor to help perform in the Saturday kids’ storytime known as Bestest Drawings, so she texted my dad to see if I could join. In my mind, I had expected the improv classes to be boring, but they weren’t. So why should I expect this to be boring too? Eventually, I chose to join and play Mr. Big, the scary guy in a black suit and sunglasses. I even got to pie the losers of Bestest Drawings in the face!
Little did I know this would lead me to joining many more performances, like Maestros and improv nights. I do not even remember how many I have done.
Acting and improv are different from school because there isn’t just one right answer. In school, I have to sit, listen, and follow rules most of the time, but in acting and improv I get to move, imagine, and be creative. Improv teaches me to listen carefully and act quickly without being scared of making mistakes. It feels more free than school, and I can be myself.
I think kids should try acting or improv because it helps build confidence and makes speaking in front of people less scary. Acting and improv help me learn new skills that I can use in school and in real life, even if I don’t become an actor.
If you are looking to join the Courtyard Playhouse, trust me, this place is awesome.
Kareem Ali
Kareem Ali Alshihmani is an improv student at the Courtyard Playhouse since January 2025, he is 13 years old, born on 18 June 2012. He started classes He’s Iraqi, born in the UAE, and a proud Gemini ♊️.
He likes geography and history, so he enjoys drawing maps and reading history books. He also plays strategy computer games like Minecraft and Hearts of Iron. He really enjoys telling people random history facts. So technically… a nerd 🤓