The oldest story ever recorded, a modern friendship for the ages.Created by Ahmed Moneka, Jesse Lavercombe and Seth Bockley.
A TRIA Theatre Production produced in association with Soulpepper.
King Gilgamesh & The Man of the Wild is a one-act theatre-music production that fuses a scripted play featuring actor-musicians Ahmed Moneka and Jesse LaVercombe with live performance by Ahmed's acclaimed Arabic-maqam / jazz band, Moneka Arabic Jazz. ⭐️
The play traces the friendship of “Ahmed” and “Jesse” as they meet in a Canadian coffee shop and forge a bond while confronting their differences – one Jewish, one Muslim, and each born in the shadow of the first Gulf War between the USA and Iraq. The present-day story of friendship interweaves with moments from the ancient Mesopotamian Epic of Gilgamesh. The play, co-created with director Seth Bockley, features themes of art, sex, fatherhood, mortality, and identity. ?
The play’s action is accompanied throughout by the emotional, rousing, and world-spanning music of Moneka Arabic Jazz, whose members hail from countries around the globe (Algeria, Sudan, Greece, Iraq, and Canada). Their music scores the show’s physical, expressive, playful, and intimate theatricality, erupting into a full musical set at the culmination of the play’s narrative, which traces Ahmed's real evolution from an actor-refugee in a new country to an acclaimed musician at the top of his game. ?
The two-man epic spans centuries, cultures, and continents, illuminating the mysteries of love, death, and friendship in a moving, funny, tragic, and ultimately celebratory “play with music” that appeals to theatre and music audiences alike. ?
Wednesday, October 1st to Saturday, October 5th | 7:30 PM
Sunday, October 6th, 2024 | 2:00 PM
**October 1st's performance will be followed by an Artist TalkBack session.**
Accessibility
All spaces at Neptune Theatre Scotiabank Stage are wheelchair accessible. Multiple single-user, all gender, wheelchair accessible washrooms are available.
Prismatic prioritizes making spaces more welcoming and accessible for all. If you have any specific access needs or concerns, please reach out to us at [email protected] or call or text us at (902) 425-6812. Learn more about the venue and accessibility on Prismatic's website:
https://prismaticfestival.com/index.php/our-venues/
Event Venue
Neptune Theatre Scotiabank Stage, 1593 Argyle St, Halifax, NS B3J 2B2, Canada,Halifax, Nova Scotia
Tickets