A group of residents at the Neve Harim retirement home is faced with a dilemma. A dear friend is diagnosed with a terminal illness, and pleads with them to help him achieve a peaceful end. Harnessing all the sharp minds around them, they manage to construct a machine for self-euthanasia that will help him fulfill his wish. But the scheme takes an unexpected turn, as more and more elderly people learn about the machine, and approach them seeking a “good death” for themselves. A bittersweet comedy about friendships and farewells, and the thin line between morality and love.
The play is based on an Israeli film, The Farewell Party, which was released in 2014, and won critical acclaim and four Ophir Awards (Israeli Film Awards). The film was directed and written by Sharon Maimon and Tal Granit.
Shlomit Arnon Barlev is an Israeli playwright, director, and actress. She co-wrote and adapted for the stage works such as The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem, The Farewell Party, Life According to Agfa, and Taking the Dog Out. As a director, she created numerous productions for Orna Porat Children’s Theater, Yoram Loewenstein Acting Studio, and other companies, spanning contemporary drama and youth theatre. Her work has been recognized with several awards for excellence in writing and direction.
Yoav Barlev is a playwright, director, and actor (theatre, film, television). He is a graduate of Nissan Nativ Acting Studio, Tel Aviv, 1990. Writing for the stage: The Farewell Party and Take the Dog Out – both with Shlomit Arnon Barlev; Naomi and Norma, Genius Bound, and The Witch Next Door – all with Irit Kaplan; Ach Ach Boom Trach with Norman Issa; A Trip to the Cheese Star, Bialik 22, and The Brothers – all with Hanoch Reim
Directing: The Three Musketeers (Mediatheque Theatre), Romeo and Juliet in the Square (Jerusalem Khan Theatre), The Witch Next Door (Mediatheque Theatre), On Stage (independent production), A Trip to the Cheese Star (Orna Porat Children’s Theater), and Improv 2021 (Haifa Theatre). Acting: for the past thirty years, Barlev has played major roles in Haifa Municipal Theatre, The Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem Khan Theatre, and Habima National Theatre.
Udi Ben Moshe is the artistic director of Jerusalem Khan Theatre. He graduated from Nissan Nativ Acting Studio, where he teaches acting, and performed at Haifa Theatre.
Directing at Jerusalem Khan Theatre: The Summer by Roman Weingarten, Marriage by Gogol (Israel Theatre Award for Best Comedy), The Fire Raisers by Max Frisch, Madame’s Late Mother and A Flea in Her Ear by Georges Feydeau, The Great Magic by Eduardo de Filippo, The American Princess by Nissim Aloni (Israel Theatre Award for Best Revival Production), Scapin the Schemer and The Imaginary Invalid by Molière (both of which won the Award for Best Comedy), Twelfth Night and The Merry Wives of Windsor by Shakespeare, Napoleon – Dead or Alive! by Nissim Aloni, Antigone by Sophocles, Adieu Mr. Haffmann by Jean-Philippe Daguerre, and The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui by Bertolt Brecht.
At The Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv: Make My Heart Flutter by Hanoch Levin (Awards for Best Play and Best Director), The Good Person of Szechwan and The Caucasian Chalk Circle by Bertolt Brecht (Award for Best Translated Play), Suitcase Packers by Hanoch Levin (Yosef Milo Prize for Best Director), School for Wives by Molière, Mother Courage by Bertolt Brecht, Everyone Wants to Live by Hanoch Levin (Yosef Milo Prize for Best Director), The Bourgeois Gentleman by Molière, and As You Like It and Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare.
Awards: Rosenbloom Award 2008; Joseph Milo Award 2008, 2010, 2014; The Rabinovich Foundation Award 2017.