ASHURBANIPAL: the last great king of assyria

“TOTALLY COMPELLING…REALLY GORGEOUS STORYTELLING” - VIEW FROM THE CIRCLE

★★★★★ “AS ATMOSPHERIC AS IT IS MESMERISING…BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED WORK” - London Box Office

“The eclipse is coming. One of us must die.”

Something is rotten in Ashurbanipal’s court. A civil war rages: brother against brother, Assyria against Babylon. The king’s ministers plot to control his decisions, while the royal family unravels from the inside.

Who will emerge from the chaos to control the greatest empire the region has ever known? And can we ever know the full story?

Enter a world where it is up to you to piece together the truth from the fragments. Walk the corridors of power at the heart of an empire which stretched from Egypt to Iran. Decipher the true meanings of omens which will shape the fate of thousands. Be the eyes and ears of the king’s spymaster. Choose whose truth you believe, but beware - in the polarised world of Assyria’s court, you may not be in command of all the facts.

If you’re a fan of immersive theatre, feel fascinated by Shakespeare’s betrayal-filled histories, or can’t wait to binge-watch the next season of Game of Thrones, you won't want to miss this.

We are delighted to be supported in this project by LCANE - London Centre For The Ancient Near East.

Ashurbanipal ran at the Crypt Gallery, Euston in February 2019 to coincide with the end of the British Museum’s major exhibition on Ashurbanipal and his world. Learn more about the Ashurbanipal exhibition here.

Reviews for previous production of ASHURBANIPAL:

"This is one of the play's great strengths: to take the unusual and strange and make it understandable and even familiar." - Rosetta

"...amazing script..." - VICE (Review for previous production of Ashurbanipal)

Cast

Laurence Varda

Michal Banai

Wayne Wilson

Melissa Taydon

John Lutula