All-Night Epic

Sunday, April 30, 2023 - 8:00pm to Monday, May 1, 2023 - 6:00am
Jacqueline du Pré Music Building, St. Hilda's College Oxford

You are invited to an all-night performance of Gilgamesh: to sleep, wake, sing and listen to the story of a man's search for immortality. Gilgamesh will be narrated by a cast of storytellers, dancers, poets, actors, students, school children, musicians, and your own imagination. The performance will last ten hours and will include refreshments and breakfast. Booking required: £10 (concessions £5). A limited number of seats will be available but there will be plenty of space on the floor - please bring blankets and cushions to make yourself comfortable. Seats will be allocated, please indicate on your booking if you require a seat. *SOLD OUT*

The Artists

The dancer Saju Hari and musicians Tarik Beshir (oud player) and Sam Brown (lutenist) will perform throughout the night.

  • Tablet 1: Badia Obaid (actor) and Wafa' Tarnowska (writer and storyteller)
  • Tablet 2: directed by Tim Supple (actors tbc) 
  • Tablet 3: Will Keen (actor)
  • Tablet 4: Thembe Mvula (poet)
  • Tablet 5: Students from Oxford Spires Academy
  • Tablet 6: Alice Oswald (poet) and Peter Oswald (playwright, poet)
  • Tablet 7: Saju Hari (dancer)
  • Tablet 8: Ella Paul and Dartington School of Arts students
  • Tablet 9: Jennifer Wong (poet)
  • Tablet 10: Stephe Harrop (storyteller)
  • Tablet 11: Claire Barnes, Marcus Bell, Zoë Jennings, Alva Orr, Amelia Wyckoff, directed by Estel Baudou
  • Tablet 12: Helen Eastman (director), Alex Silverman (composer)

Overseen and inspired by Alice Oswald (Oxford Professor of Poetry), with support from Marina Warner (All Souls), Fiona Macintosh (St Hilda's College), Sue Jones (St Hilda’s ) and Justine McConnell (KCL), the event has been made possible thanks to funding from the St Hilda's College Research Fund, DANSOX, APGRD and KCL.

Event Reviews

Images from the Night

A collage of 6 black and white photographs capturing moments from the All-Night Epic performance of Gilgamesh held in the JdP Music Building 30 April to 1 May 2023. Clockwise from top left: Thembe Mvula stood in a white shirt; Archana Ramaswamy lying on tClockwise from top left: Thembe Mvula; Archana Ramaswamy; Badia Obaid and Wafa' Tarnowska, with Alice Oswald stood in the background; Sam Brown performing with a lute; Zoë Jennings in a choreographed performance with Claire Barnes and Marcus Bell; Saju Hari. Photographs by Joe Oswald