on
directed by Dragoș Galgoţiu
Gilgamesh: Tudor Aaron Istodor
Enkidu: Istvan Teglas
The Blindman: Gabriel Pintilei
The Death Demon: Ionel Mihăilescu
Ninsun: Oana Ștefănescu
Shamash: Dan Bădărău
Ereshkigal: Camelia Maxim
Ishtar: Ana Ularu
The Shepard: Radu Iacoban
Utnapishtim: Constantin Cojocaru
Urshanabi: Laurenţiu Lazăr
Scorpion Man: Mugur Arvunescu
Ishkara: Diana Gheorghian
Anu: Paula Niculiţă
Huwawa: Tiberiu Almosnino
Bull of Heaven: Ionuţ Kivu
Shamhat: Meda Victor
The Groom: Adrian Nicolae
The Bride: Mălina Tomoiagă
Aruru: Raluca Vermeşan
Siduri: Ada Condeescu
Tammuz: Alin State
A performance by: Dragoş Galgoţiu
Stage design: Andrei Both
Costumes: Doina Levintza
Choreography: Silvia Călin
Sculptures: Alexandru Rădvan
Translated by: Mihaela Crețu
Tudor Aaron Istodor – Award for Debut in acting, granted by Bucharest City Hall, 2009
Opening night: March 1, 2009
Duration: 3h 45′ with interval
Duration: 3h 45′ with interval
Photos by Mihaela Marin
Press reviews
We are witnessing a cultural event, which compels us to reinterpret the theatrical act.
In The Epic of Gilgamesh I rediscovered Dragos Galgotiu. A different Dragos Galgotiu, who managed like an alchemist to select from the most complicated and strong essences, the simplicity. The simplicity of the fundamental story about life and death, about the begining and the end, about the absolute and the all-mighty nothing. It is very difficult and risky to approach a text that crossed milleniums, from which remained only fragments, and where it pulsates our reason itself to exist or not to exist.
The mental and emotional exercise that Dragos Galgotiu gave us to reflect upon is amazing.
In The Epic of Gilgamesh I rediscovered Dragos Galgotiu. A different Dragos Galgotiu, who managed like an alchemist to select from the most complicated and strong essences, the simplicity. The simplicity of the fundamental story about life and death, about the begining and the end, about the absolute and the all-mighty nothing. It is very difficult and risky to approach a text that crossed milleniums, from which remained only fragments, and where it pulsates our reason itself to exist or not to exist.
The mental and emotional exercise that Dragos Galgotiu gave us to reflect upon is amazing.
– Azi, March 2009
The complexity of the text and the series of appearances of the characters from the Mesopotamian mythology are brilliantly completed by the impressive costumes and the stage design that emphasizes the tragedy of the legend’s heroes, which, otherwise, represent archetypes that lead us to universal human aspects.
The performance, although it has to support a complex text, with references to deep cultural concepts, has a visual continuity and an impressive stage design (signed by Andrei Both), which leaves room for the characters’ wide gestures, with imposing sculptural apparitions.
The performance, although it has to support a complex text, with references to deep cultural concepts, has a visual continuity and an impressive stage design (signed by Andrei Both), which leaves room for the characters’ wide gestures, with imposing sculptural apparitions.
– Mediafax, March 2009
How to dramatize the myth? I think that Dragos Galgotiu found a viable formula. His answer is: leaving it as it was inherited, not cutting a line from the text, not acting it, but, rather, telling the story, reciting it, staking on it’s incantatory power and the actor’s talent helped by a spectacular stage design, by sumptuous costumes, by wonderful music and light design.
I think we need performances like this, which are against the current. I think we need to go back from time to time to the origins of theatre. I think we need directors like Dragos Galgotiu who follows an idea in which he believes without compromise. I think we need actors to remind us where their art is coming from.
I think we need performances like this, which are against the current. I think we need to go back from time to time to the origins of theatre. I think we need directors like Dragos Galgotiu who follows an idea in which he believes without compromise. I think we need actors to remind us where their art is coming from.
– Observator Cultural, May 2009
The Epic of Gilgamesh shows the man in its most profound fears. Dragos Galgotiu’s performance sets on this philosophical path about the sense of mankind and develops into a study that wants to cross through time and to pinpoint the essential. It is theatre, in the same way it can be looked at as literature in pure state or image theatre. When he chose the texts for the epic, he was not interested in their theatrical dimension, but in their power to speak about the essence of life. In this way, the rhythm of the performance is that of a story, and the narration is conceived in terms of a mysticism expressed through image. Because we assist not only at an acting show, with lots of choreographic moments, but also at one of image, light and sound.
– Time Out, March 2009
A fabulous world, populated with kings and common people, with gods and monstrous creatures that fill the stage. Uruk City is revealed in all its splendour, in the slowly rhythm of a dream or ancient history. Everything is impressive: the appearances of the characters, their clothes, the rich costumes, the ritual gestures, the expressive dances, the kneading of the clay and willingness with which the goddess Aruru (Raluca Vermesan) creates Enkidu, the scenic objects – the transparent cube, the labyrinth wall, multi-articulated and mobile, semitransparent as well, the allegoric chariot of goddess Ishtar (Ana Ularu) – , the fantastic elements – the bull of heaven (Ionut Kivu), the angel of death (Ionel Mihailescu), Huwawa, the guard (Tiberiu Almosnino), the fights between Enkidu, Gilgamesh and Huwawa.
– Observator Cultural, May 2009
