The narrow alleys of Jaffa’s Old City were quiet as an early morning rain fell gently on the rough-hewn stones. This part of town, with its artist’s studios, galleries, restaurants and theatres, is usually more of an early-afternoon riser, but this morning was different. Theatre directors, artistic directors and journalists from 17 different countries made their way to HaSimta Theatre for a special performance of Orpheus in the Metro as part of a culture delegation organized by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
This was the third day of the group’s Israeli cultural adventure, which began on December 5 at the Beit Lessin Theatre with Savion Liebrecht’s play The Banality of Love, directed by Avishai Milstein. Midnight East joined the delegation in the narrow black box on the Jaffa roof, one of HaSimta’s three stages, as actor Oren Yadgar, Rubik’s Cube twirling under his fingers, took us on a journey through the labyrinths of the Paris metro and the human heart. The play is based on a short story by Julio Cortažar, translated by Yoram Meltzer, adapted for the stage by Roee Chen and directed by Igor Berezin, artistic director of Malenki Theatre.
Yadgar and Nina Goffman, Malenki Theatre’s General Director took questions from the audience following the performance. Michael Bach Henriksen, a radio journalist from Denmark, asked why they decided to form their own independent theatre. Henriksen later commented that the existence of small independent theatres can be interpreted in two ways: as a positive sign of the dynamic nature of the Israeli theatre scene, that when one door closes another opens, or else that the theatre scene is very closed and difficult to penetrate.
Over the course of the 5 day marathon, the group saw: Hamlet, directed by Omri Nitzan at the Cameri Theatre, presentations from the students at the School of Visual Theatre, presentations of Stones and The Jewish Dog at HaSimta, Apples from the Desert by Savion Librecht at Beit Lessin, Someone is Going to Come directed by Lilach Dekel-Avneri, Ish Theatre’s Odysseus Chaoticus as well as presentations by independent artists such as Elit Weber and Michal Svironi at the Tmuna Theatre, where Midnight East caught up with the group again and had the opportunity to chat with Tarık Günersel and other participants, including initiator Ofra Ben Yaacov, Head of the Arts Department in the Division of Cultural Exchange of the MFA.
Ben Yaacov explained that “Israeli dance has become so popular worldwide; International Dance Exposure (which takes place annually at the Suzanne Dellal Centre each winter) attracts many visitors to Israel, distinguished and important cultural figures from all over the world. As many of these visitors are also involved with music and theatre, the culture delegation was created to take advantage of their presence here to give them an opportunity to become better acquainted with Israeli theatre and music. This year’s group consists of 35 people. We believe that it’s better to host small groups. This enables us to listen carefully to their needs and fulfill individual requests. Michael from Denmark is meeting with author Etgar Keret and Lidia Camacho and Alejandra Henarom from Mexico are meeting with the General Director of the Israeli Philharmonic.
The guests were not the only ones to benefit from this exposure. Midnight East learned that many of the smaller theatres, such as Tmuna and HaSimta, are also equipped with subtitles in English to accompany performances. The plays are not typically performed with subtitles, but the theatres are often happy to do so to accommodate the needs of a theatre-going group. Two of the plays viewed by the group are currently performing at their respective theatres: Orpheus in the Metro is on at HaSimta on December 28 & 29, and Someone is Going to Come will be at the Tmuna Theatre tonight and tomorrow (28.12). Both plays are part of the theatre’s repertoire, which means that they usually have two or three performances each month.
Norwegian playwright Jon Fosse’s Someone is Going to Come, translated by Doron Tavory and directed by Lilach Dekel-Avneri is an intensely close look at relationships that never misses a beat. Lani Shahaf and Gal Hoyberger are finally alone together, playing exquisitely with this poetic minimalist text, exploring the vast range of emotion and possibilities of what it means to be “alone” and “together”. The play is usually performed with live music, but despite the fact that the 10am performance took place without the band, it made a powerful impact.
Music took center stage on the delegation’s final day at Levontin 7. With two performances a night, the club is a hot venue for Israeli and international musicians. Pianist and club co-founder Daniel Sarid hosted the group with non-stop music throughout the day. Opening the morning were Carmi Zisapel and Eran Weitz, a vocal-guitar duet, a couple both musically and in life. They met when Eran and his band, The Diamonds, composed music for a performance of the Vertigo Dance Company, where Carmi, a dancer in the group, sang a wonderful solo – and a new partnership was launched. The pair was followed by singer Din Din Aviv, singer/songwriter Tal Hefter, Injera – Ethiopian/Jazz Trio, singer Efrat Gosh, Istiklal Trio (Turkish Oriental-Western fusion), the rock band Beit HaBubot (House of Puppets) and Ensemble Maksim which performs contemporary and fresh arrangements for classical Arabic and Turkish music. In the breaks between sets, participants had the opportunity to chat over coffee and meet the performers. Midnight East had the pleasure of meeting Lin Hongming, President of the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center.
The opportunity to encounter Israeli culture first hand and meet the artists creates not only a connection between artists and venues – Habanot Nehama, who performed for last year’s cultural delegation, have been invited to perform in Toronto and Vancouver this January– but perhaps more important, creates a connection between people. Despite the easy accessibility of email, youtube, myspace, and an endless array of social media, nothing can replace the immediacy and spontaneity of these meetings. Sharing meals, walking down the streets of Tel Aviv, talking to the artists – these intimate moments and casual conversations create the foundations for dialogue between people and ongoing relationship with Israeli culture.
Tmuna Theatre: 03-5629462
HaSimta Theatre: 03-6812126
Levontin 7: 03-5605084
Image credit: Top image from Someone is Going to Come/Photo: Gadi Dagon
