Beloved UAE theatre veteran and educator Eric Dury dies
Dubai: Beloved UAE theatre veteran and educator Eric Dury, also known as Roslee Abdullah, died on Saturday, his wife Shereen Shabnam confirmed to Gulf News . Dury, who spent more than 25 years in the UAE as an actor, educator and passionate supporter of the local theatre community, died on Saturday night after spending at least four weeks in hospital following a prolonged battle with leukaemia.…
Dubai: Eric Dury, a beloved UAE theatre veteran and educator also known as Roslee Abdullah, passed away on Saturday after battling leukemia for four weeks. The news has been met with an outpouring of tributes from his colleagues, students, and friends across the UAE's performing arts community. Dury, who arrived in the UAE in 1999, spent over 25 years in the country working as an actor, educator, and supporter of the local theatre scene.
His work spanned across multiple theatre groups including Dubai Drama Group, Raw Theatre, Danú Dubai Theatre, Tall Tales, and Bark at a Crow Productions. He was particularly well-known for his roles in productions like The Importance of Being Earnest, Hamlet: 5 Acts, 5 Actors, and Jack & the Beanstalk. At Danú Dubai, he played the Arms Dealer in The Al-Hamlet Summit and Count De Guiche in Cyrano de Bergerac.
In addition to his work on stage, Dury was a dedicated educator at the University of Sharjah and Zayed University. He received the UAE Theatre Awards Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025 for his decades-long contribution to theatre. Tributes poured in, with his colleagues and students praising his talent, generosity, and warm personality.
Written by urgent.news from Gulf News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
