The play tells the extraordinary true story of two bereaved fathers who found the strength to reconcile despite their personal pain. Based on the acclaimed novel Apeirogon by Colum McCann, the play follows the profound transformation of Rami Elhanan, an Israeli whose daughter Smadar was killed in a suicide bombing, and Bassam Aramin, a Palestinian whose daughter Abir was killed by an IDF rubber bullet.
A mosaic of Israeli and Palestinian including soldiers, police officers, doctors and judges; illustrates the complex and turbulent reality of the region. Amidst one of the most difficult times in the history of the conflict, Rami and Bassam: Apeirogon presents a courageous dialogue about loss and brotherhood. It’s a vital work of art that replaces hostility with radical empathy, pointing toward the possibility of imagining a different, shared future.
Avner Ben-Amos is a playwright and historian. A Professor of history of education at Tel Aviv University. A graduate of the Department of Theatre Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 2017 he won the Playwright of the Year award with director Micha Lewensohn and actor Dror Keren for the stage adaptation of David Grossman’s novel A Horse Walks into a Bar, which has been running at The Cameri Theatre since 2017. Notable Plays: Dionysus at the Center – based on Tamar Berger’s book of the same name; He Walks in the Fields, based on the novel and play He Walked Through the Fields by Moshe Shamir; Summer 1967, based on the Israeli government’s protocols from the Six-Day War; Year Zero: 1929, based on historian Hillel Cohen’s book Year Zero of the Arab-Israeli Conflict 1929.
Sinai Peter is a director, dramaturg, and an acting teacher. A graduate of the Department of Theatre Arts at Tel Aviv University. Peter was the Artistic Director of the Neve Tzedek Theatre Center 1984-1986, and Haifa Theatre 2000-2005. He teaches acting and theatre at the Kibbutzim College of Education and the Western Galilee College.
He directed over thirty productions in Israel’s leading theatres, as well as fringe productions. Selected work: The Clearing, Return to Haifa (based on the novella by Ghassan Kanafani), Man Equals Man, The Admission, in Theatre J in Washington D.C. and subsequently at the Jaffa Theatre, The Peacock of Silwan, co-directed with Chen Alon, winner of the Best Fringe Play award 2015. He also directed four productions for the San Francisco Mime Troupe and collaborated extensively in Washington D.C.