Outwitting the Devil

The piece “Outwitting the Devil”, by choreographer Akram Khan, was inspired by a newly discovered fragment of the Babylonian epos of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest surviving pieces of world literature. It describes a violent chapter in the life of young Gilgamesh, read and recalled by his older, dying self. The story focuses on Gilgamesh’s domestication by the wild man Enkidu and their friendship, their journey to the forest of giant cedars, the home of wild creatures and spirits, and the slaughter of Humbaba, its keeper. Confronted with the truth and the suffering of mortality, Gilgamesh turns into a figure of history, and becomes another narrative fragment among the broken remains of human culture and memory.

In a landscape of fragmented clay tablets and fallen idols, six dancers set out to follow Gilgamesh’s traces in the form of gods, human beings and animals. They exchange their remaining possessions and their stories in order to reunify the fragments of long lost knowledge.

Cast

Artistic Direction / Choreography Akram Khan
Dramaturgy Ruth Little
Lighting Design Aideen Malone
Visual Design Tom Scutt
Original Music Score and Sound Design Vincenzo Lamagna
Costume Design Kimie Nakano
Text Jordan Tannahill
Rehearsal Director and Coach Mavin Khoo
Material devised and performed by Ching-Ying Chien, Jasper Narvaez, Dominique Petit, Mythili Prakash, Sam Asa Pratt, James Vu Anh Pham
Executive Producer Farooq Chaudhry
Technical Management Tina Fagan
Production Management Rich Fagan
Stage Management Lars Davidson
Lighting Engineering Stéphane Déjours
Sound Engineering Phil Wood
Project / Tour Management Mashitah Omar
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