This is a copy of some of the first letters between Mr. Oda, Head of the National Theater of Iraq and I, so you can see the essence of the idea of this project.
To prove and show the world that: Devine love will always win over whatever darkness is drowning us. And we insist on meeting instead of making distance, in order to change the world into a better place, not only for our selves, but also for the people coming into this world after our time.
"I am great honored by your interest in a production / co-production between us. In great joy I write this letter and in great hope for a wonderful exchange and a final product proving art as a universal communication beyond differences and conflict’s.
In these times of war with terrified people all over the world I believe: As artists we can prove we all are the same after all, and therefore in respect and understanding, we meet in a historical play exactly about this issue with William Shakespeare*s: “Cleopatra”.
I believe this exact play about western- and Middle East love, meeting in ancient time, in a world at war. A great love defiled by hates. This would be a very interesting story for us to work together on.
I believe, with this cooperation, we could send a message to the world, that we are many professional artists that consider ourselves beyond this increasing conflict between Middle East and western world. That we believe in meeting each other and exchanging in great respect for difference, religions or personal believes.
I believe in showing the beautiful Iraq culture in a holy marriage with the western Shakespeare and with director, composition and set design from Denmark in an amazing symbiosis between our differences in culture and backgrounds.
It is a very important way to show this. For many people in Denmark it would be a very special and different understanding of Middle East art, background and history.
Very few Danes know that you are training Shakespeare in theater schools and in The National Theater School in Baghdad.
It could mean a lot to the European people seeing this side of Baghdad through your noble theater and staff of dancers, actors and musicians.
And I vision it as a great honor to be a part of bringing our “Cleopatra” to Europe, for them to see and experience " - Veronika Kaer 2009
Artistic concept for the play "Anthony and Cleopatra" by William Shakespeare.
Composer Hans-Erik Philip often combines a cross over between Middle Eastern and western music and have great skills in this from a life long travel all over the world working with several Middle Eastern musicians and singers. It is a profound dream of ours to work with singers and musicians from Iraq, to develop this play into a rare and new form in Music Theater.
We would like the ancient world of Egypt expressed through music and songs so that the dialogs between the two worlds will be filled with this mysterious world of ancient dancing, music and songs. It will be an encounter between music and words to symbolize the meeting of different cultures.
So Cleopatra will respond by singing to the Roman language. (The play of course will be in Arabic)
The ancient Greek theater was working like this. A great mix of dance, words and music.
Some of the smaller parts in this play could be a dancing character in order to make the differences in cultures distinctive.
They simply can’t understand each other and that is what this tragedy and profound love is all about.
My set designer and I always try finding styles and images, where we show the richness and greatness of the ancient worlds.
Which is to say, that when northern Europe where nothing but primitive communities, other great nations were growing and developing complex and fantastic societies, filled with wisdom, unique styles and ways.
The meeting in “Cleopatra” between western, Middle East and south Europe will inspire a great mix of styles and rare colorful and dramatic set designs and costumes.
We would love to find the richness in the colors of Your country, fabrics and historian costumes and bring it up on stage mixing it with other styles as well. Symbolizing again the differences but also the amazing meetings unfolding itself through the play.
We would also love to work closely with your noble make-up people to find some of the ancients’ masks and make-up ways for old dances and traditions in Iraq and bring it to life in this play.
All this is meant to express Iraq history and traditions in a new way, in a meeting with a western traditional poet as William Shakespeare.
This is our ambitions, - Shakespeare as Music Theater with designs of ancient Middle Eastern styles mixed with western cultures.