Description
The Epic of Gilgamesh is the jewel of ancient Mesopotamian literature, the first written literature in the history of human culture. Since its discovery in the ruins of the Assyrian capital, Nineveh, it has received great and widespread attention. It has been translated into European languages and presented as theatrical performances and expressive dance shows. In Arab culture, however, the Syrian public has seen two theatrical productions, both French initiatives. The renowned French director Pascal Rambert presented it based on the Akkadian text at the Damascus Citadel in 1999. It was then performed outdoors as part of the Avignon International Theatre Festival, in three languages: Arabic with two translations, French, and English. Three groups of actors each spoke their own language, with translations projected on giant screens. In 2006, Catherine Schopp, director of the Parisian Théâtre du Soleil, presented the epic based on my academic text at the Workers’ Theater in Damascus in a remarkable performance that ran for several days. This further convinced me of the necessity of a dramatic adaptation of the epic that would illustrate the approach of Arab playwrights.
In my dramatic adaptation, I presented the Akkadian text as it is, with all its ideas, characters, and sequence of events, through a directorial vision that blends Greek tragedy with modern theatrical performance. I employed language with a poetic resonance and musical rhythm that evokes the poetic atmosphere of the Akkadian text. I also added several scenes not present in the original text, both for artistic reasons and to expand the space surrounding the events.











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