February 28th, 2003
Hearing War Drums, Iraqis Still March to Their Own Beat
(from NYT article)
BAGHDAD, Feb. 27 — A revival of the classic “Epic of Gilgamesh” is scheduled to open in about two weeks at the Rashid Theater in downtown Baghdad. The troupe, rehearsing every afternoon in a dusty, ill-lighted space upstairs at the government-run General Organization for Theater and Cinema, realizes that its ancient odyssey about life and death along the Euphrates may be overshadowed by an all-too-vivid, modern version right outside at just about the same time.
“If the war happens, we will present the play, even if we only draw a small audience,” said Kasim Al-Sumary, the director, optimistic that a few brave souls might wander abroad even in the face of an American attack. “If we only thought about war, we could not go on with the rehearsals.”
