In a house in Gaza, Daniel’s commander mapped the battlefield on the kitchen table: cups became buildings, a green saltshaker a mosque, and a matchbox the team. Watching the military briefing turn, unintentionally, into object theatre, Daniel, a reservist and theatre creator, began imagining the performance.

A War in Progress is an intimate solo performance that utilizes the same language of objects to lay out events from October 7 until Daniel’s return home. The objects are used to examine what happened around him, among his squadmates, and within himself. They trace his experience from saying goodbye to his partner, through the confusion, panic and euphoric solidarity of the first days, to the fear of entering combat and his squad’s daily routine. A War in Progress asks what happens to a person amid the inhumanity of war, and how one can remain humane.

Daniel Engel is a theatre creator, actor, and a high school drama teacher. He graduated Nissan Nativ Acting Studio in Jerusalem and holds a BA in theatre directing and education from Kibbutzim College of Education. He performs at Tmu-na Theatre, Habait Theatre, and the Train Theatre. His original works have been presented at the Israel Festival, A-Genre Festival, and Tmu-na Festival.

Yonatan Levy is a playwright, director, multidisciplinary artist, entrepreneur, and teacher. He teaches at the School of Visual Theatre and Beit 9. He leads the Tahana Theatre company. His works have been presented in Israel and abroad. He co-founded Sheikh Abreik Festival for Civil Culture, and Kama Flour Mill, a multidisciplinary cultural center. He is the author of the play collections Police Series, Malkitous, and Awake, Brothers. Selected work: Rumpelstiltskin, Double Fantasy, Hanussen – Hitler’s Jewish Magician, Aharonchik, Malkitous, The Tongue Animals, the opera The Sleeping Thousand, The Little Prince, Nefilim, Raful and the Sea, Saddam Hussein: A Mystery Play, Mr. World, and Manu King of Atlantis.