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New Play 'Camp David' Retraces 1978 Peace Accord

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Thirty-six years after President Jimmy Carter made peace between Egypt and Israel, "Camp David" is now both history and theater.

Carter and his wife Rosalynn returned to Washington on Thursday night to open a new play commissioned by Arena Stage. It retraces the 13 days of tense negotiations in 1978. By the time the lights came up, the former president had tears in his eyes and was soon hugging actor Richard Thomas who played him on stage.

While a story of the remarkable peace accord may at first sound like theater for wonks, the drama of peace negotiations made for a compelling story that's raw with emotion, real and perhaps ever relevant to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

"Camp David" runs through May 4 in Washington.

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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