Inana

On the eve of the United States’ invasion of Baghdad in 2003, an Iraqi museum curator plots to save treasured antiquities, including the statue of ancient mother goddess Inana—metaphorically, the soul of the country—from destruction. Fleeing to London with his young bride, he makes a life-altering deal to ensure the statue’s preservation. Against a background of international and personal intrigue, playwright Michele Lowe opens a window of hope and healing with her poignant and beautiful love story.

Inana was commissioned and received its world premiere at Denver Center Theatre Company in 2009, and TimeLine’s production is the play’s Chicago premiere. “By introducing us to human and complex Iraqi characters … Michele Lowe’s play wants to smooth the border that separates our nations like a line of sand in the desert,” praised The Denver Post. “[It] allows us to consider our ‘enemy’ in new and more humane ways. To consider the infuriating plight of Middle Eastern women. To reflect on the unconscionable desecration of a country’s sacred heritage … All while escaping into an unlikely but eventually sweet romance.”