Iraq National Theatre Gets New Lease on Life Since War On Terror Began this Week

The London Telegraph is reporting that this week marks the first night in six years, since the fall of Saddam Hussein, that Iraq played a staged a production written, produced and directed by Iraqis.

The landmark production, entitled To Enjoy The Sweetness You Must Taste The Bitterness opened at the Iraq National Theatre to a packed 1000 seat house.  The theater was built in Iraq's 'golden age' when it was used primarily to entertain with productions of Shakespeare and Chekov. 

Says 29-year-old Elaf Mohammed to the Telegraph, "We used to go to the theatre and cinemas all the time before the war...It is so good that we can do so again."

The play, was producer Essam al-Abassi a seller of  mobile phones in the Iraqi capital and was directed by Ghanim Hamid.

According to the Telegraph, the play is "Centred on two friends who quarrel when one falls in love with the other's sister, the plot contains an element of science fiction when a spaceship uplifts the men to Neptune, forcing them to put aside their differences."

Says Mohammed in the paper: "I am trying to send a message to the people that in the end there are no differences."

To read the full report in the London Telegraph, click here.