Details

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? This 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.

Cast/Performers

Sarah Agha, Houda Echouafni (Layla), Emma Fielding (Gertrude Bell), Ali Gadema (Kidnapper), Rendah Heywood (Ghalia), Zed Josef (Salim), Nadi Kemp-Sayfi (Nasiya), Debbie Korley (Sam York), Richard Pryal, Zara Ramm, Riad Richie (Mohammed), Rasoul Saghir (Abu Zaman)

Creatives/Company

Author: Hannah Khalil
Company: Royal Shakespeare Company
Director: Erica Whyman
Design: Tom Piper
Lighting: Charles Balfour
Music: Oguz Kaplangi