Royal Opera House Muscat's ‘Shakespeare through Omani Eyes’ expo from Tuesday

Muscat: An exhibition featuring 28 paintings by 14 Omani artists, all inspired by Shakespeare’s life and works, will be held from September 27 to October 1.
Coinciding with worldwide celebrations of 400 years since the death of celebrated playwright William Shakespeare, the Royal Opera House Muscat will host an exhibition titled “Shakespeare through Omani Eyes.”
It will coincide with the ROHM’s inaugural event as it opens the season with Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet.
Dr Nasser Al Taee, advisor to the Board of Directors, explained that the exhibition stems from the ROHM’s deep interest in education and outreach initiatives and reflects its keen involvement of Omani artists in the season’s programme.
“Preparations have been on for months and schools and local art organisations have been roped in to ensure optimum participation and involvement in the exhibition,” Dr Al Taee said.
Dr Al Taee also noted that the exhibition will be free of charge and open to the public. It will offer Opera Galleria’s visitors an enriching cultural opportunity to experience the imaginative creativity of Omani artists and their engagement with world events.
“There are over 27 operas based on the tragedy, the most famous of which were the Singspiel Romeo und Julie (1776) by Georg Benda and Bellini’s take on the story, I Capuleti e i Montecchi (1830). Additionally, there were several symphonic treatments of the story, including Berlioz’s dramatic symphony (1839), Tchaikovsky’s overture-fantasia (1880), Prokofiev’s ballet (1938) and Leonard Bernstein’s musical adaptation, West Side Story (1957).”
The ROHM will commence its season on September 29 with Charles Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet, which, according to Dr. Al-Taee, has been the inspiration for many composers since the eighteenth century.
The exhibition will take place at the Opera Galleria from 27 September to 1 October, 2016. It is being organised in collaboration with The British Council and the Omani Society for Fine Arts.
The exhibition will conclude with a workshop and readings of Shakespearian plays by 100 students from public and private schools.