How to Remain a Humanist After a Massacre in 17 Steps

The play captures one moment in time when the ground falls from under your feet after a traumatic event such as the massacre of October 7. The event threatens to destroy the cornerstones of your painstakingly built personality, and marks the eruption of a struggle between consciousness and reason, and the forces of survival: How do you remain humanistic?

This is a woman’s guide to herself. How do you bring such an internal struggle to the stage?

How do you capture one moment in time when something collapses, and something else struggles to hold on?

The play creates a performative struggle through the body. The entire experience is of the struggle between the human forces necessary for a person to remain a humanist in the face of events, but at the same time, the importance of this struggle also becomes more acute.

Maya Arad Yasur is a dramaturge and playwright. Her plays have been produced in Israel (Habima National Theatre, Haifa Municipal Theatre, Beit Lessin Theatre, etc.), translated into twelve languages, produced in theatres around the world, and published in books and magazines in Israel and abroad. Her play Amsterdam was produced in some twenty countries around the world. She earned an MA with honors in Dramaturgy from University of Amsterdam, after which she worked as a dramaturge in various Dutch productions, with an internship in Johan Simmons’ La Grande Bouffe at the Toneelgroep Amsterdam. Her plays include Dependent (2010), God is Waiting at the Station (2014), Ten Minutes from Home (2015), Amsterdam (2018), A Light Trembling in the Wing (2020), Those Seeking Out (2020), and Triage (2023). Arad Yasur is the winner of the UNESCO International Theatre Institute Award for Dependent (2011), the Ella Dan Stage Award for God is Waiting at the Station (2014), the Theatertreffen Stückemarkt Berlin Award for Amsterdam (2018), and the Rosenblum Award (2022). Her plays have been staged and publicly read in various theatres in Israel, Germany, Austria, Norway, and the US, and have been published in leading theatre magazines in Germany, Poland, and Israel.

Sapir Heller completed her theatre and opera directing studies at the Academy of Music and Theatre in Munich in 2008. Her directing credits include various productions in theatres throughout Germany – Munich’s Volkstheater, Frankfurt, Berlin’s Maxim Gorki Theater, Mannheim, Dresden, and Regensburg, among others. Recently, she staged The Good Soul from Sichuan in Essen. With Arad Yasur’s German premiere of Amsterdam, she won the Critics’ Prize at the Radikal Jung Festival in Munich (2019). She staged two more plays by Maya Arad Yasur in Germany, to critical acclaim: Those Seeking Out in Memmingen (2020) and A Light Trembling in the Wing in Lubeck (2023).

We Are Not Alone

Posted by: Vg Admin Posted on: November 30, 2024 Devised Theatre , Original Formats , Performance

Long before people turned their gaze to screens, they looked up to the skies in search of answers. We Are Not Alone is a journey from the here and now into space and beyond, towards the points of light in the dark sky that may host entire worlds, from which our world might appear as a faint glimmer. This performance utilizes the audience’s mobile devices, allowing them to inquire about the unknown, imagine answers about the future, or simply gaze together at the light of distant stars. It emphasizes the wonder and connection of contemplating our place in the universe through a communal, interactive experience.

Lior Zalmanson is a researcher, digital artist, curator, playwright, and screenwriter. He is a senior lecturer at Tel Aviv University. As a senior lecturer in the Technology and Information Program at the Coller School of Management, Tel Aviv University, Lior initiated and founded the Print Screen Festival for Digital Culture at Mediatheque Holon. He also chairs the Israel Museum Association’s Digital Forum. Additionally, he is an award-winning playwright, screenwriter, and artist whose works address topics such as the information society and the relationships between humans and non-humans. His play (with Maya Magnat), I Don’t Want to See This, was nominated for the Golden Mask Award (Russian Theatre Awards) in 2021, and his film works have been featured at the Tribeca and Cannes Film Festivals.

Maya Magnat is a theatre director, performance artist, educator, and lecturer. She earned a BA in Education and Theatre from Kibbutzim College of Education, Technology and the Arts, an MA in Theatre from Tel Aviv University, and another MA from the Educational Technology Program at the University of Haifa. Through art and research, Maya explores the impact of technology on our lives, and the intersection of technology, intimacy, and sexuality. Her artistic works often incorporate technology in live performances, or address technology-related themes. Maya creates interactive performances where the audience plays an active role, and her works have been showcased at festivals, galleries, and cultural events both in Israel and internationally.

Liron Meshulam, known as Flora, is an Israeli singer, songwriter, producer, and composer for dance and theater, celebrated for her unique fusion of indie, electronic, and pop music. She studied at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, refining her skills in music theory, composition, and production. Flora’s music blends organic and electronic sounds, and her live performances showcase her versatility, moving from acoustic guitar to dynamic live looping with Ableton Live. She has released several albums, including Happy Today (2010), Everything is Here (2013), Place (2017), and These Little Moments (2024). Flora has collaborated with top Israeli artists like Yuval Banai, Rona Kenan, and Asaf Avidan. Beyond her music, she founded the Women in Sound community and the podcast Worth Listening To, which promotes and empowers women in music production and audio engineering.

Karaoke

Posted by: Vg Admin Posted on: November 30, 2024 Audience Involvement , Devised Theatre , Late-Night Show , Original Formats , Performance

Whether we sing at full volume in front of other people, croon in the shower, belt out tunes in our car, or hum to ourselves, singing is an intrinsic part of our lives. Specific songs play a huge part in our personal and collective memories. They can magically transport us back in time to moments that were key in the formation of our identity.

And then there’s the question that divides most people. Is karaoke mortifyingly embarrassing or a good laugh? In Karaoke, members of the audience are guests at a karaoke party. Hosted by three performers who sing through critical moments in their lives, members of the audience are invited to sing along, pick their favorite karaoke number, or sit back and enjoy. The show never quite ends, the mic is left on, and the audience is invited to carry on singing karaoke for as long as they desire.

This work premiered in a bar with a small stage, and can be adapted for different types of spaces. It originally premiered in Hebrew, but an English version is available, and it can also be adapted to include music from different countries.

Rachel Erdos is an award-winning independent choreographer. She earned an MA from The Laban Centre London. Rachel won first prize in the AICC International Choreography Competition, Aarhus, Denmark, in 2008, and in 2009, she won the CityDance Ensemble Commissioning Project, Washington DC. In 2012, Rachel was awarded the Prize for Artist of the Year by the Israel Ministry of Absorption. In 2014, she won the NorthWest Dance Project Pretty Creative Commission, Portland, USA, and in 2015, she was awarded the Prize for Independent Choreographer of the Year by the Israel Ministry of Culture. Her work has been shown in some of the most prestigious venues, including The Kennedy Center, Washington DC, The Joyce, New York, and the Royal Opera House London. Rachel also teaches extensively, and in 2018, she was a visiting artist at Brown University, USA. In 2019, she was artist in residence at Catapult Dance Choreographic Hub, Newcastle, Australia. During 2020, Rachel collaborated with Panta Rei Dance Theatre (Norway), NorthWest Dance Project (Portland), Company E (Washington DC), and Backhaus Dance Company (Los Angeles).

Love Me Tender

Posted by: Vg Admin Posted on: November 30, 2024 Autobiographical , Devised Theatre , Performance , Physical Theatre , Woman's Power

Even outside the judo hall, where she trained as a child, Kitzis’ life felt like a battleground: fighting for a place, a voice, a narrative. In her first full-length theatrical work, she seeks to break out of this combative mindset, only to discover that she doesn’t know how. On stage, Corinne lays out her life’s battles on a huge judo mat: the first round is against her ex-partner, the second against her mother, and the final and hardest round of all? Against herself. The battles on stage become a coming-of-age journey, during which Kitzis searches where to direct her power, how and where to unload it, and how to learn to surrender. Through this process, she breaks life down into its universal elements: love, family, identity, and freedom.

Corinne Kitzis is a creator, artist, and content producer, known for her successful podcasts Potchot HaKol (The Podium) and Shomaat Rega (Relevant). She earned an MA in Visual Communication from Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. Kitzis is also a host, lecturer, theatre and film creator, and a mother of three. As a multidisciplinary artist, Kitzis has created web series, social media content, and a documentary film exploring mother-daughter relationships, intergenerational dynamics, motherhood, and being a woman. In her work, Kitzis grapples with the complex question of what lies between everyday life and its artistic representation, delving into the internal dynamics of daily life, relationships, and family life. She constantly seeks the fine line between the private and public, striving to create a new and meaningful dialogue with her audience. Through her work, she combines humor, sensitivity, and innovation, finding ways to reveal and present the complexity and beauty of simple life.

Shiry Journo founded a theatre group that explored an alternative creative language. Through the group’s continuous work and artistic research, Hayadit Theatre was created in 2002. She is the theatre’s founder, director, and artistic director. As a director, Shiry has developed a unique and captivating stage language that characterizes all her productions, and reflects her distinctive vision for theatre. As an artistic director, her creative vision focuses on the intersection of theatre, art, public space, and community. This vision is deeply embedded in the foundations of Hayadit Theatre’s work, making it a unique cultural and social center, with a profound dialogue between the artists and the public. In addition, Shiri is often invited to lecture at artistic and academic institutions, where she shares her insights on the development and implementation of her artistic vision.

Stefa My Love

Posted by: Vg Admin Posted on: November 30, 2024 Based on Literature , Based On True Story , Solo Performance , The Jewish Syndrom , Woman's Power

Who was Stefa Wilczyńska, and why have most of us never heard of her? Despite her significance, the devoted educator, who dedicated her life to Dr. Janusz Korczak’s orphanage, is absent from history’s chronicles. The performance follows Stefa back and forth between Warsaw and Kibbutz Ein Harod. The show addresses women’s status then and now, the roles of education and theatre, and that which lies between them. The play intertwines the testimony of the author, who is a character in the play, with Stefa’s – both played by the same actress. The end reveals Stefa’s secret, the real motivation of the three women who created the show.

Dr. Amela Einat is an author, researcher, and a renowned expert in learning and attention disorders. To date, she has published over fifty books – fiction, nonfiction, and research. Many of her books have been translated into different languages, and published internationally. Three of her books have been adapted into plays performed on various stages in Israel. Pizza in Auschwitz gained significant international attention. Amela received various awards for her literary achievements, including the Prime Minister’s Prize, the Hadassah Prize for Children’s Books, the ACUM Prize for her contribution to Israeli literature, the Deborah Omer Prize for a book for young adults, and others. Her book Stefa, My Love was written after extensive research, and with profound identification with her character and actions.

Hagit Rehavi Nikolayevsky, a graduate of Tel Aviv University’s Theatre Department (Directing), is a playwright and director. She wrote, adapted, and directed many plays for children, youth, and adults. In the past, she was the Artistic and General Director of the Orna Porat Theater for Children and Youth, as well as Chairperson of Assitej Israel, the international Association for Theater for Children and Youth, and a member of Assitej’s International Community for two terms. She is the recipient of the Rosenblum Award for Theatre Arts from the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Yafo.

Rejin Shoshan is a theatre and performance art creator and educator, a Gaga dancer, a photoslam instructor, and an Inner Voice mentor. In the past twenty-five years, she has participated in numerous shows as an actress, director, and dramaturg, while teaching performing arts. She developed an acting and directing workshop combining theatre and photography, called PhotoDrama.

A Private Meeting

Posted by: Vg Admin Posted on: November 30, 2024 Based On True Story , Short Play , Site Specific , Woman's Power

The play describes a private acting class given by a well-known teacher to a young student. The encounter slips in and out of crossing professional and personal boundaries.

The story is based on the method of a well-known Israeli theatre director, teacher, and artistic director. The show presents in a hyper-realistic way how the teacher invades the student’s soul, using her yearning for recognition and success, thus causing her to commit acts that go beyond her free will.

The choice of performance space is site-specific and not coincidental, as this is the actual space where these private meetings originally took place. This is a story about art and the fine, almost invisible, line between the legitimate and the illicit.

Maya Koren is a graduate of the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School’s Screenwriting Department (2022), and ERACM – École regionale d’acteurs de Cannes et Marseille (2019), where she studied acting. She worked with Laurent Brethome, Gerard Watkins, Guillaume Severac, Jeanne Sarah Deldicq, and Aurelien Desclozeaux. In 2017, she graduated from Nissan Nativ Acting Studio. She participated in a screenwriting workshop led by Asaf Zippor (2023), a playwriting workshop led by Roy Maliach Reshef (2020), and others.

She wrote The Teacher – a series currently in development with production company Endemol Shine. Winner of the Award for Best Script for a TV Series from YES TV.

She teaches acting at the Cameri Theatre’s New Generation Group, and at The Studio led by Gal Amitai.

Yael Goldberg Shimoni is a theatre director. She graduated from Tel Aviv University – Theatre Directing and Communal Theatre (2010). She directed Bomb Shelter Stories (Habima National Theatre, 2023), and Amiram (Acco Festival of Alternative Israeli Theatre, 2023; winner of the directing award); Singing with Ariela (Tzavta Theatre), Problems in the Philosophy of Morals (Habima National Theatre), Gently (Haifa Municipal Theatre), and Not Funny (Tzavta Theatre). Staged readings include, Don’t Tell Mama by Noam Gil (Beit Lessin Theatre), and My Wife by Arnon Weiss (Cameri Theatre).

Yael was a teacher and director at Platforma – an activist theatre for women who suffer from violence, and a member of the Tzavta Fringe Theatre Artistic Committee.

The Consulate of the Golden Tooth Kingdom

Posted by: Vg Admin Posted on: November 30, 2024 Circus of Life , Performance , Physical Theatre

The Consulate of the Golden–Tooth Kingdom is a ClownX modular theatrical performance that provides the audience with a captivating, exciting, and laugh-out-loud experience.

The Kingdom’s Honor Guard (a trio of musical clowns) is preparing for the inauguration of a consular post that will issue the kingdom’s passports.

The Golden Tooth Kingdom is a surreal monarchy that hovers over Earth, and offers friendship and solidarity to anyone it encounters on its endless journey across the universe, striving for peace, brotherhood, and freedom.

Eldad Prywes is a theatre creator, and a graduate of Nissan Nativ Acting Studio.

His acting credits include theatre, cinema, and television in Israel and around the world.

He has served as artistic director of festivals and cultural events in the public sphere (Acco Festival of Alternative Israeli Theatre, The Pavilion Jerusalem, etc.)

Adaptation and direction for Nissan Nativ Acting Studio includes The Good Soldier Schweik, Everyman, Benjamin’s Missions, and The Frogs, among others.

He is the founder and leader of the ClownX Group.

Longing

Posted by: Vg Admin Posted on: November 30, 2024 Autobiographical , Based On True Story , Devised Theatre , Political/Social Issues , Theatre at War

Arab and Jewish creators, native Israelis and those born in exile, on a journey of memories tracing their parents. We all long for something – the story of the grandfather who was expelled from Biram in 1948 intertwines with that of the mother who immigrated from Cairo, and wishes to go back to be buried there. The story of the daughter who returned to Vienna, while her uncle chose to stay in Ein Hod and work the land. Together they meet Telenovela, a fictional character who longs for a better future.

Exile can be a state of mind, a cultural exile, or an inner one.

The performance takes place on several stages that surround the audience. The audience creates their own play by watching the four stories of displacement and longing from different cultures. At the end of the performance, the actors offer the soothing flavors of their traditional food.

Igal Ezraty is a theatre director, founder, general manager, and co-artistic director of Jaffa Theatre, Arab-Hebrew Culture. He earned a BA in Education and Community Theatre and an MFA with honors in Theatre Directing from Tel Aviv University. He is a former teacher of acting and directing at Tel Aviv University and Kibbutzim College of Education, Technology and the Arts, and co-founder of the Theatre Artists Union.

He directed the musicals Farid El Atrash and Umm Kulthum, which premiered at The International Mediterranean Festival in Ashdod, and have been performed successfully in Paris and Marseille (2019). Igal mentors veteran and upcoming actors and theatre professionals, and is a recipient of the Golden Hedgehog Lifetime Achievement Award for 2021.

Stempenyu

Posted by: Vg Admin Posted on: November 30, 2024 Based on Literature , comedy , Israeli Classic , Original Formats , The Jewish Syndrom , Woman's Power

Stempenyu is a gifted violinist who plays with his klezmer band at weddings. He is known not only as a player who enchants listeners with his sounds, but also as a heartbreaker. When he falls in love with the beautiful and married Rachel, the story gets complicated. Stempenyu’s wife doesn’t intend to give him up for a moment, but the beautiful Rachel also wants him, forever. Edna Mazya has woven a beautiful and touching play, with colorful characters, all of whom want to fulfill themselves through Stempenyu and his music. A free adaptation of the classic Yiddish novel from 1888 by Sholem Aleichem, one of the greatest Jewish writers.

Edna Mazya (1949-2023) was a playwright, director, screenwriter, and author. She held an MA in Philosophy and Theatre Studies from Tel Aviv University. Her credits include – writing: Games in the Back Yard, Vienna by the Sea, The Rebels, Aristocrats, A Couple, and Pregnancy, inspired by Lorca’s Yerma; writing and directing: Herod, Bad Kids, A Family Romance, The Nouveau Criminals, and The Back Room; directing: numerous plays by the highly esteemed playwright, the late Anat Gov: Oh, God!, Best Friends, Happy End, and others. Mazya’s award-winning plays have been repeatedly produced and performed in Israel and around the world. She wrote screenplays for Amos Gutman’s films, Afflicted, Bar 51, and Himmo, King of Jerusalem. She published two novels and four children’s books.

Ronnie Brodetzky is a director and writer. She graduated from Kibbutzim College of Education, Technology and the Arts (Directing), and from the Interdisciplinary Arts Program at Tel Aviv University (MA). She is a recipient of the 2020 Rosenblum Performing Arts Award. Her works include, at The Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv: Tartuffe, Birthday Candles (Heidel), Hubeza – Etgar Keret’s stories with The Revolution Orchestra; Haifa Municipal Theatre: Aquarium – young actors lip sync elderly people in a swimming pool, How to Get Up From A Chair – an original play based on instructional YouTube videos, Circus of Jews (an adaptation of Nathan Englander); Beer Sheva Municipal Theatre: Short Circuit by Noa Lazar Keinan; Salzburger Landestheater: Aquarium, 1000 Tutorials, WhatsApp Stories; and Tzavta Theatre: Typing…. – a play based on original WhatsApp conversations.

Login