In a city defined by movement, Metro Diaries transforms Dubai’s public transit into a living archive of stories too often left unspoken.
Returning for a limited restaging on February 14 and 15, 2026 and co-present by SIMA Performing Arts, the performance invites audiences to journey through the emotional heartbeat of the city. Its people.
Conceived and brought to life by 63Kolektib, an artist-led, all-Filipino performance collective, Metro Diaries is a multidisciplinary theatre work rooted in migrant narratives and lived experience. Through spoken word, movement, and soundscapes, the performance renders the Dubai Metro not merely as a setting, but as a metaphor: a space of transition, witness, and becoming.
Commuters become characters. Train stations morph into memory. Fleeting metro rides unfold into intimate vignettes that stir reflection and connection.
Originally devised in 2025 and its world premiere commissioned by The Arts Centre at New York University Abu Dhabi, Metro Diaries emerged from a process of collective storytelling and artistic inquiry. The work draws particular focus on the Filipino migrant experience, while resonating across cultures in a city shaped by migration.
“When I take the metro, I love to observe and wonder—what are they thinking? What’s going through his head? Why is she crying?
The metro carries the stories of this city. It has witnessed the journey of the gritty of 5 a.m. commuters and the endurance of closing-shifts,” shares Trixie Danielle, co-creator and multidisciplinary artist. “In Metro Diaries, we pause the noise and listen to each other, and to ourselves.”
The structure of the performance is fluid, echoing the rhythm of public transit itself. Passengers board, disembark, interact, and disappear. Some moments are playful, infused with the quiet humour of everyday humanity; others reveal private landscapes of resilience, longing, and placemaking.
At its core, Metro Diaries is an offering. An homage to those who move through the city quietly and courageously. The work stands as a reflection of collective narratives shaped by workers, dreamers, caretakers, and creatives whose lives intersect daily yet rarely converge.
The Collective
Metro Diaries is shaped by the collaborative voices of:
- Juan Gonzales – Director and co-founder of 63Kolektib, whose own migration journey informs the emotional architecture of the work
- Rei Co – Dance artist raised in Dubai, whose movement language reflects the liminality of second-generation identity
- Jomel Duran Reyes – Cultural producer and performance-maker amplifying Filipino literature and diaspora memory
- Malavika Suresh – Spoken word artist and academic researcher exploring the relationship between selfhood and social presence
- Trixie Danielle – Multidisciplinary artist working across theatre, poetry, and storytelling to explore migration, identity, and belonging
Community Beyond the Stage
True to 63Kolektib’s commitment to accessibility and inclusion, Metro Diaries extends beyond performance. The project includes free theatre and capability workshops designed especially for migrant communities, offering participants a space to share stories, explore performance as a language of healing, and build solidarity through collective experience.
Audience responses from the world premiere reflected a sense of recognition and affirmation many describing moments where they “saw themselves on stage” for the first time.
On Building a Collective
Reflecting on sustaining an independent, migrant-led collective, the artists speak candidly about the realities behind the work.
“We are here abroad to work,” shares Jomel Duran Reyes. “Balancing jobs, rehearsals, and creation means compromise but we make our time together intentional and full of learning.”
“With limited resources, staying engaged is a challenge,” adds Juan Gonzales. “But we’re guided by pakikipag-kapwa. It is honouring one another with equality and dignity.”
“Funding and scheduling will always test us,” says Trixie Danielle. “But padayon or keep moving forward. Grit and connection carry you further than you expect.”
A Limited, Live Experience
This restaging of Metro Diaries is a two-day, 4-show run.
A live, unrepeatable encounter shaped by presence, audience, and moment. Each performance is a shared act of witnessing, rooted in the here and now.
Performance Details
- Dates & Times:
- February 14, 2026: 2:00 PM & 7:00 PM
- February 15, 2026: 12:00 PM & 4:00 PM
- Venue: SIMA Performing Arts, Warehouse 38, Alserkal Avenue, Dubai
- Production: Metro Diaries by 63Kolektib
- Co-presenter: SIMA Performing Arts
- Genre: Spoken word, theatre, movement
- Tickets & Information: https://ticketsfy.net/event/metro-diaries-musings-of-a-collective-moving-experience/
