Located in the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on the coast of the Arab Gulf, New York University Abu Dhabi opened its doors in the Fall of 2010.  Rubén Polendo, Artistic Director of Theater Mitu, is an Associate Professor at NYU-Abu Dhabi and Director the University’s Theater Program.  Under the NYU Global Network, NYU-AD espouses all of the academic and artistic values of its parent institution; furthermore, NYU-Abu Dhabi is set up, above all, as a research university, supporting a high level of research projects that broaden and expand the various disciplines.

This mission is directly in line with that of Theater Mitu. Since the company’s inception, Mitu has framed its theatrical work as an investigation and research.  It is this research that drives Mitu’s international training programs and Whole Theater Training methodology. Ultimately, it is this exact framework of research that has given shape to Theater Mitu both  artistically and pedagogically.  Through NYU Abu Dhabi, Theater Mitu has conducted research initiatives in Egypt, Yemen, Sudan, Nepal, India, Jordan, Mongolia, Peru, Japan, Bali, Mexico, and more.

In 2011, Theater Mitu had the privilege of creating and producing the first professional theater production created and produced in Abu Dhabi, entitled CHAOS.   With Theater Mitu’s guidance, students have participated in research trips to South India and Nepal in addition to numerous appenticeships on Mitu productions in the UAE.  In 2012, under the guidance of Ruben Polendo and Theater Mitu, NYU Abu Dhabi premiered its first student-run production, The Ramayana.  Theater Mitu has also toured productions to Abu Dhabi as well as used it as a landscape for the development for new company created pieces.

With the goals of building a vibrant, global theater program for NYUAD, and sharing the arts with communities whose exposure to theater is nearly non-existent, Theater Mitu hopes to continue to create a dynamic production life for both the University and Theater Mitu in Abu Dhabi.