The Performing Arts Department offers a variety of musical and drama activities and assemblies and plays are staged regularly by each section of the school. Full use is made of the School Theatre and other practice facilities. To ensure access to the latest developments in the performing arts in education the school is a member of the International School Theatre Association (ISTA), which is based in London.

Activities in which students may become involved include the Festival of the Arts, MYP Open House, Talent shows, concerts, Awareness Week Activities, and other areas of the Pastoral Programme. Community Service requirements can be met through performing for local orphanages and other community programmes.

The school encourages students to be involved in all aspects of productions: performing on stage, backstage work on sound, lighting,

and make-up, props and set design, as well as ‘front of house’ management including ticket sales, ushering and publicity. Rehearsals for productions and other shows take place after school and on Saturdays and students are advised on balancing their commitments to these productions and performances with their academic work.

 Recent successful Arabic productions have included “Ta’aloo Nashar”, “Stars in a Long Night”, “Cinderella”, “Mudhesh Wa Ajeeb” and “Hikayat Hilm”. Performances staged in English include: “Lady Windermere’s Fan”, “The Visit”, “Whose Life is it Anyway?”, “Charlie and

the Chocolate Factory”, “House of Bernada Alba”, “Scribble Boy”, “Macbeth”, “West Side Story”, “The King and I”, “My Fair Lady” and “Beauty and the Beast”.

ABS has also contributed to the development of the performing arts through its participation in the Children’s Theatre Festivals and Ministry of Education competitions. School productions have won national drama awards and have been screened on television.