Ancient gods, epic battles and a timeless adventure.
The “Epic of Gilgamesh” is widely considered the world’s oldest story ever told, dating back to 2100 B.C. This month, it’s being revived in Los Angeles through the art of song and dance.
“Gilgamesh: The Opera,” a project by the Assyrian Arts Institute, is being held at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts from March 28 to March 29. The retelling of the ancient saga highlights how stories can endure through reinterpretation and across different art forms.
“Culture cannot survive on memory alone, it must be actively expressed, reinterpreted and shared,” said Nora Betyousef Lacey, Executive Producer and Founder of Assyrian Arts Institute. “For Assyrians whose history has been marked by displacement and fragmentation, the arts offer something uniquely powerful: a way to preserve identity not just as history, but as a living, evolving force.”
The “Epic of Gilgamesh” is a series of 12 tablets that follows the king of Uruk. After the death of his closest friend, he embarks on a quest for immortality.
The tablets were found in the ruins of Nineveh around 1849. Despite centuries of war, displacement and genocide, the story’s themes of grief, morality, friendship and searching for meaning continue to resonate with Assyrians around the world.
“It takes most people a lifetime to understand what truly matters, and that search has been constant since the earliest days of humanity,” said Diana Farrell, the show’s artistic director. “Gilgamesh offers insight into that journey, confronting questions of mortality, purpose and legacy with striking honesty. Its endurance lies in its ability to guide each new generation toward those same realizations.”
The goal for this year’s show, Farrell said, is to bring a fresh interpretation to the centuries-old narrative.
“Opera offers an expanded palette for storytelling that is both layered and immersive,” she said. “Music can express what words alone cannot, while movement, design and visual elements deepen and sculpt the narrative. This multidimensional approach allows the story to exist on several emotional and symbolic levels at once, keeping it vivid, nuanced and alive.”
Traditional Assyrian expressions are woven throughout the show. Assyrian folk dances blend with traditional opera choreography, led by principal choreographer Stephen Martin Allan.
Ashtar Ashurseen, Director of Cultural Dance Integration, is charged with teaching the ensemble cast not only the dance moves, but how to embrace culture through it.
“Collaborating with Steven and his very traditional, classical style is a really nice balance,” Ashurseen said. “We’re coming together to allow the opera to have its own unique style.”
With the power of storytelling and backed by song and dance, the “Epic of Gilgamesh” continues to stay alive through generations.