The Soldier's Tale

In January 2006 The Old Vic Theatre Company and The Motion Group presented Stravinsky's The Soldiers Tale in a remarkable new version by renowned Iraqi poet, Abdulkareem Kasid, and Rebecca Lenkiewicz, the acclaimed writer of The Night Season.

World-first collaboration

This world-first collaboration of Iraqi and European actors and musicians wove together new Arabic and English texts with Stravinsky's evocative music and new compositions by Ahmed Mukhtar. The MBI Al Jaber Foundation played host to the Motion Group in their offices for the months leading up to and during the production, and also helped to bring actors and musicians from Iraq.

Baghdad

Andrew Steggall directed veteran British actor Julian Glover, together with Martin Marquez and Ciaran McMenamin, three talented Iraqi actors, Deaa al Deen, Falah al Flayeh and Alaa Rasheed, and nine musicians who joined the onstage action. Andrew Steggall hopes to take the production, in a modified form, on a tour of the Middle East, and indeed plans at some point to take it to Baghdad.