Pre-show: As the audience enter the venue a quiet sound loop plays the sounds of gentle winds, chirping crickets, etc. The gauze on the stage has the title card projected onto it:
The Epic of Gilgamesh
or
“He who saw the deep”
The house lights go down as ANCIENT VOICES begins to play (pre-recorded), the title card projected onto the gauze changes to:
Tablet I – Two parts god, one part man
Behind the gauze, the cast are taking their starting positions on stage. Subdued over-head stage lighting flashes in sync as thunder rolls across the stage.
THE OVERTURE builds, allowing the audience to catch glimpses of the band in silhouette, fully costumed, some sporting strange headgear, through the gauze.
As THE OVERTURE concludes, the projection on the gauze ceases and the gauze parts, revealing a dark stage.
THE CHANT begins, spotlights picking out each member of the cast as they sing…
THE CAST: (chanting)
"He who saw the deep….
After THE CHANT, the sky backdrop slowly begins edging towards sunrise, and with it lights begin to come up reveal the full band on stage. Front of stage and to the right is a LARGE FLAT ROCK. The gods are identifiable by their elaborate oversized heads.
ENLIL: (as a disembodied voice, perhaps over a megaphone)
"People of the City of Uruk-Haven…..
The sun reaches it’s apex as a pyrotechnic explosion accompanies Gilgamesh’s burst to the front of the stage...
GILGAMESH:
"Here I am!....
The ill treated PEOPLE OF URUK-HAVEN move about centre stage, imploring the gods for help. The gods on the mothership platform upstage left can be seen to react to the people’s entreaties.
PEOPLE OF URUK-HAVEN:
"O gods above, you’ve got to save us…
ENLIL AND SHAMASH:
"It’s up to you, Anu…
As ARURU begins work on creating the Wild Man ENKIDU, a spotlight homes in on her, projections of whirling wind and sand fill the stage gradually taking human form until ENKIDU appears running wild across the stage.
TRAPPER:
"King Gilgamesh, I tell you, I saw this creature…
Shamhat stands by the LARGE FLAT ROCK with her back to the audience, and opens her robe, revealing herself to Enkidu, who is still running about in his wilderness.
He stops dead in his tracks when he see's her and then slowly draws near, taking her behind the rock out of view of the audience.
As ENKIDU'S THEME plays, he whoops and hollers (like he does), and occasionally a leg or head peeps above the rock as they make wild love for six nights and seven days.
The frantic lovemaking grinds to a halt out as ENKIDU'S THEME slows down, the sun setting into night...
SHAMHAT:
"Yeah, G?...
ENKIDU stops dead in his tracks with eye's wide in amazement when he see's her open robe and slowly draws nearer until taking her behind the rock out of view of the audience.
As ENKIDU'S THEME plays, he whoops and hollers (like he does), and occasionally a leg or head peeps above the rock as they make wild love for six nights and seven days. The frantic lovemaking grinds to a halt as ENKIDU'S THEME slows down, the sun setting into night...
As ON THIS NIGHT begins, they move back downstage of the rock. She sits, back against it, with Enkidu laid back, head in her lap. She strokes his forehead as she sings the opening verses. Only their area of the stage is lit.
SHAMHAT:
"All alone on this evening quiet…
GILGAMESH appears on the opposite side of the stage with a city of Uruk backdrop, distinguishing it from the Wilderness back drop for Enkidu and Shamhat.
"On this night…
At the close of ON THIS NIGHT, ENKIDU'S THEME resumes, slowly, building up, as the stage turns black with only Enkidu and Shamhat silhouetted to the audience as they resume their frantic lovemaking. When ENKIDU’s THEME ends, stage plunges into darkness with Enkidu’s last grunts.
