In 1926, the nation of Iraq is in its infancy, and British archaeologist Gertrude Bell is founding a museum in Baghdad. In 2006, Ghalia Hussein is attempting to reopen the museum after looting during the war. Decades apart, these two women share the same goals: to create a fresh sense of unity and nationhood, to make the world anew through the museum and its treasures. But in such unstable times, questions remain. Who is the museum for? Whose culture are we preserving? And why does it matter when people are dying?T264147724This new play explores what it means to try and create a nation - and why a country's treasures matter when people are dying. A story of treasured history, desperate choices and the remarkable Gertrude Bell.Company Royal Shakespeare Company. Director Erica Whyman. Design Tom Piper. Lighting Charles Balfour. Music Oguz Kaplangi. Performer Sarah Agha. Performer Houda Echouafni (Layla). Performer Emma Fielding (Gertrude Bell). Performer Ali Gadema (Kidnapper). Performer Rendah Heywood (Ghalia). Performer Zed Josef (Salim). Performer Nadi Kemp-Sayfi (Nasiya). Performer Debbie Korley (Sam York). Performer Richard Pryal. Performer Zara Ramm. Performer Riad Richie (Mohammed). Performer Rasoul Saghir (Abu Zaman). | |
| 11 Oct 19 to 25 Jan 20 | Swan Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon :: V136 listing details L845173038 |
