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Talented theatre director Nedal Al-Attawi will be putting the land of Dilmun and the Epic of Gilgamesh on the centre stage in a bid to highlight Bahrain’s history as well as gain international nominations and accolades.
Fifteen actors from Bahrain, supported by a dedicated production team, have been diligently rehearsing for the theatrical showcase entitled The Silence of Ishtar, which tells the vengeful tale of Ishtar and Gilgamesh.
“It is a mixture of historical stories and fantasy,” said the 49-year-old from Hidd, a reputable Bahraini writer and director who has won several awards in Bahrain as well as throughout the GCC.
“We are still in the rehearsal stage and will be announcing the date and location for the show soon. The entire production is doing this for the love of theatre as well as in hope of receiving accolades and nominations from different events such as the GCC theatre festival.”
The Epic of Gilgamesh is an ancient Sumerian and Akkadian poem about the eponymous hero, Gilgamesh, the king of the city of Uruk. He goes on a quest to find immortality and the flower of eternal life.
Within this epic, there is Ishtar, the goddess of love and war who falls head over heels for the king and asks him to marry her. However, Gilgamesh - fearing his fate would be similar to her other lovers - rejects her proposal.
The jilted Ishtar goes on a rampage of revenge and the show is born.
During the play, Seham Yateem, 27, will be playing the flower of immortality, known in Arabic as ‘Zahrat El Khulood’, which is the human representation of the flower sought after in the mythology of Gilgamesh. She is eagerly looking forward to it being featured and has nothing but high praise for what people can expect.
“I believe the theatrical piece is a beautiful reality-fantasy fabrication of the legend of Gilgamesh,” said the head of human resources and organisational development and university lecturer from Tubli.
“It is always refreshing to see innovative art projects that combine our perspectives of legacies and historical stories with our touch of this day and age. I believe the piece Nedal is creating will be an exciting work for all audiences as it has elements of fantasy, drama and wisdom all wrapped up in a well-crafted theatre piece.”
Seham, whose theatrical work stems from the realm of dance, teaches the art form at multiple fitness studios. She has done contemporary dance for a theatrical showpiece by Abdullah Malik for his work The Living Dead. Her sister Nadeen is also participating in the play.
According to Nedal, Seham is skillful, passionate and hardworking. Her ‘keenness to understand characters’ dimensions and willingness to try new experiences will make her outstanding on stage’, he added.
As rehearsals continue, Nedal is also preparing a children’s show called Mouse in the House which may be featured in November.
For details, follow @nedal_alattawi and @sehaamm on Instagram.
