The Cameri Theatre
of Tel Aviv2014-2015 Repertoire
Contents
The Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv
New Israeli Drama
Israeli Classics Celebrate the Cameri’s 70th Anniversary
Plays from Hebrew Literature
Shakespeare at the Cameri
World Classics
Contemporary World Drama
Musicals and Musical Plays
Continued Successes
Hanoch Levin in the Cameri
The Cameri Center for International Theatre
The Cameri with Rina Yerushalmi’s Itim Ensemble
Cameri Halls
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Repertoire 2013-2014
3The Cameri, Tel Aviv’s Municipal Theatre, was founded in
1944. It is Israel’s biggest Theatre and one of the country’s
six public Theatres. Each year the Cameri stages up to
ten new productions, together with twenty productions
from previous years, that are performed before audiences
totaling 1,000,000 people. So far, the Cameri has produced
some 500 productions on its various stages, with 2,000
performances every year. The Theatre’s company includes
eighty of Israel’s finest actors, and its plays are directed by
celebrated directors from Israel and abroad.
Since 2003, the Cameri has been situated in the Tel Aviv
Performing Arts Center complex, adjacent to the New Israeli
Opera, the Municipal Library, and the Tel Aviv Museum. The
new Cameri Theatre’s six auditoriums constitute a modern,
vibrant, and active theatrical center.
Throughout the years, the Cameri’s productions have
accumulated more than 100 awards. Under the leadership
of Noam Semel and Omri Nitzan, the Cameri Theatre was
awarded the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement and
Special Contribution to Society and the State of Israel. In
their decision, the judges noted: “The Cameri Theatre is a
young, involved, socially-oriented Theatre that responds to
the reality in which we live”. The Cameri Theatre is engaged
in developing original Israeli drama and strengthening
international ties, fostering collaborations with leading
Theatres all over the world.
The Cameri’s repertoire includes original Israeli pro-
ductions - classic and contemporary - with emphasis
on social and political issues that are at the center of
Israel’s public life. The Cameri also puts on many shows
from the international repertory, including the classics,
contemporary, dramas and musicals.
International Collaborations: The Cameri’s productions
are invited to leading Theatres and festivals throughout
the world. The Cameri hosts its own international festival
every year, with guest performances including Volksbühne,
Schaubühne Berlin, National Theatre of China, The National
Theatre of Norway, TR Warsawa, Berliner Ensemble,
Münchner Kammerspiele, Deutsches Theatre Berlin, St.
Petersburg Mali theatre, and Co-Production with Tokyo
Metropolitan Theatre.
The Cameri has a society of friends headquartered in Tel
Aviv with branches in London and New York. The society
supports the Cameri’s wide range of activities and assists
in advancing projects such as The Peace Foundation,
bringing young Israelis and Palestinians together to see the
Theatre’s productions; Theatre in Education; helping bring
special needs audiences to the Theatre; and supporting the
simultaneous translation of our productions into foreign
languages (English, Russian, French, and Arabic).
Part of the Cameri Theatre is the Hanoch Levin Institute
of Israeli Drama. The Institute, founded by the Cameri’s
General Director Noam Semel, aims to promote Israeli
drama in Israel and abroad. The Institute holds international
showcases, at which the works of Israeli playwrights are
presented.
The CameriTheatre of Tel Aviv
Based on Fallada,Little Man, What Now?
photo: Daniel Kam
insky
Shakespeare, Macbeth
photo: Gerard Allon
Mazya, A family Affair
photo: Gerard Allon
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5
Noam Semel General Director has been serving as General
Director of the Cameri since 1992. During that time, he has
turned the Cameri into the most prodigious and largest
Theatre in Israel that performs all over the country. He
initiated and executed the Theatre’s relocation to its new
home on Leonardo da Vinci Street.
Under his leadership, the Cameri has become a center for
international theatre, where leading Theatres worldwide
come with their productions. The audience that comes to
watch the Cameri productions is quite diverse - more than
40,000 subscribers, schools, tourists, new immigrants,
minorities, and young leadership groups from abroad.
All this is made possible because of the Cameri’s varied
repertory and the surtitles that are offered in English,
Russian, French and Arabic.
Semel served as General Director of the Haifa Municipal
Theatre. He then served as Israel’s Consul for Cultural Affairs
in the United States. He is currently serving as Chair of the
Hanoch Levin Institute of Israeli Drama. Mr. Semel is an
active member of the Forum of Israeli Cultural Institutes,
and a committee member of the Israeli Theatre Prize, which
he founded.
Omri Nitzan Artistic Director
1974-1980: Resident Director, Habima, Israel National
Theatre, Tel Aviv; 1979-1980: Resident Director, the Cameri
Theatre of Tel Aviv; 1980-1985: Artistic Director, Haifa
Municipal Theatre; 1985-1990: Artistic Director, Habima;
1991-1993: Artistic Director, Israel Festival, Jerusalem;
1993-present: Artistic Director, The Cameri Theatre.
Among his awards: five-time winner of the Israeli Theatre
Prize for Director of the Year. Five-time winner of the Israeli
Theatre Prize for Production of the Year. His production of
Hamlet at the Cameri Theatre was named Best Production
of the Decade in 2010.
A selection of the plays he directed: A Family Affair and The
Rebels by Edna Mazya; Murder by Hanoch Levin; Ghetto by
Joshua Sobol; Hamlet; Macbeth (all at The Cameri Theatre);
Much Ado About Nothing (Haifa Municipal Theatre); As You
Like It (Be'er Sheva Municipal Theatre).
At the New Israeli Opera, he has directed Donizetti’s L’Elisir
D’Amore (also performed at the Deutsche Oper in Berlin and
at Savonlinna Opera Festival in Finland), Rossini’s L’Italiana
in Algeri, Verdi’s Nabucco in Tokyo, and Otello, A Journey
to the End of the Millenium by Josef Bardanashvili and
A.B. Yehoshua (also performed at the Rome Opera House),
The Child Dreams by Gil Shohat and Hanoch Levin (also
performed at the May Festspiele in Wiesbaden), and Saint-
Saens’ Samson and Delilah at the Antwerp Opera House.
Mazya, Stempenyu
photo: Gady D
agon
For further information please contact:Dr. Varda Fish, Director of International RelationsThe Cameri Theatre of Tel AvivCenter for International [email protected]: +972-3-6061979, Fax: +972-3-606196130 Leonardo da Vinci St., P.O.B. 14033, Tel Aviv 64369, Israel, www.cameri.co.il
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Blaumilch CanalAfter the film by Ephraim Kishon Adapted and directed by Eli Bijaoui and Guri Alfi
A recently escaped mental patient steals a pneumatic drill
and starts drilling in the center of Tel Aviv. A huge commotion
erupts around him, but nobody tries to stop him. No one
wants to be seen as not knowing what is happening in his
sphere of responsibility. As time goes by, and bureaucrats of
all ranks avoid taking responsibility, the hole becomes huge
and endangers not only the city, but the sanity of the street’s
residents, the careers of some municipal officials, and the
future of a charming young couple. Only Casimir Blaumilch
keeps on happily smiling and drilling… Following a series
of bureaucratic snafus, Tel Aviv becomes “the Venice of the
Mediterranean”, with cover-ups, mutual accusations, the
helplessness of the little man, and many others.
Other Ephraim Kishon plays produced by the Cameri Theatre:
The Ketuba, His Name Precedes Him, and Salah Shabati.
Meagre FishA comedy by Miri Hanoch, directed by Edna Mazya
A critical comedy about a bourgeois family in a middle-
class suburb. An illegal female foreign worker is killed in a
fall from a ladder leading to an illegal window in an illegal
wing in the home of a leading lawyer and his wife. The Caspi
family’s attempts to cover up the illegal death lead them to
repeatedly break the law, as they cope with what passes for
their life. Only a few days remain before Shirili’s bat-mitzvah,
and secrets and lies are revealed both on the surface and
below it. By the time the celebration takes place, not one
brick in the house is left standing.
Director Edna Mazya is behind the success of Best Friends,
Househusband, A Warm Family, Oh God, Happy End,
Stempenyu, A Family Affair, and other productions.
photo: Gerard Allon
Sobol, Ghetto
New Israeli Drama
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Israeli Classics Celebrate the Cameri’s 70th Anniversary
The Inn of GhostsBy Nathan Alterman, directed by Yehezkel Lazarov
Hananel leaves his home and devoted wife to go out into
the world and fulfill himself as a virtuoso violinist. His wife,
who aspires to ideal love, acquiesces. For twelve years she
enslaves herself to the abusive son of a moneychanger in
order to help Hananel fulfill his dream. The only condition
she sets is that he swears to come home when he promised
he would. Alterman’s masterwork is a fascinating play
about an artist thirsting for self-fulfillment and recognition,
who ultimately pays a high price for his ambition: when he
forgets his love and breaks his vow, his creative talent is
taken from him.
Everybody Wants to LiveA comedy by Hanoch Levin, directed by Udi Ben Moshe
Everybody wants to live, or more precisely, nobody wants
to die, is the story of the owner of a remote estate, not
miserable, not old, and not sick, who is suddenly doomed to
die by Divine decree. Due to an error in the Angel of Death’s
records he is given a remission of sentence on condition
that he provides a replacement. Who will agree to take his
place? His beloved wife? His lovely sons? His aged parents?
Any old incurable sick person? A despairing cripple? Maybe
a Chinese? And with what can he buy a replacement? Love?
By force? Money?
The world is swarming with replacements, but as our
frightened hero says, “Ah, what a tragedy. Everybody wants
to live!”
GorodishWritten and directed by Hillel Mittelpunkt/Omri Nitzan
In 1973, Major General Shmuel Gorodish finds himself held
responsible for the military failures during the Yom Kippur
War. As a result, he goes from being a lauded commander
to the leper of Israeli society.
Gorodish’s story exposes the modi operandi of the politicial
and military establishments, national paranioas, and the
wishes of an entire nation that, over a period of six years,
founded a vainglorious empire.
Levin, Requiem
photo: Gady D
agon
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Soul of a JewBy Joshua Sobol, directed by Maor Zaguri
Otto Weininger was a Jewish Viennese philosopher who
decided to convert to Christianity to escape “the curse”
of Judaism. He felt he was living in a sick society whose
values were decayed. Weininger was born in 1880 and
took his own life in 1903, six months after the publication
of his sensational book “Sex and Character,” which caused
an uproar throughout Europe and was later used as
propaganda material by the Nazis. Soul of a Jew, one of
Sobol’s most successful plays, reveals the drama of a
generation who did not believe in the ability of the Jewish
people to redeem itself through Zionism.
The Mission of the HumanResources ManagerA new play by A.B. Yehoshua, directed by Itzik Weingarten
An adaptation of the novel A Woman in Jerusalem by one
of Israel’s greatest novelists about the victim of a suicide
bombing. The human resources manager of a large
Jerusalem bakery is called in to find out if there is any
truth in an exposé to be published in the local paper about
a bakery employee who was killed. The dead woman’s
identity is revealed to be a non-Jewish woman who made a
pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Under pressure from the bakery’s
owner, the manager undergoes a process of self-reflection
and of taking responsibility. He learns something of her life
and embarks on an journey to the snow-covered Russian
steppes, in order to bury her in the village where she was
born. To his surprise, the woman’s mother asks him to take
her back to Jerusalem for burial.
Plays from Hebrew Literature
Mazya, A family affair
photo: Gerard Allon
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MacbethBy William Shakespeare, directed by Omri Nitzan
The play opens at the end of the war from which Macbeth
emerges as a famed hero. The admiration heaped upon
him stirs his appetite to unseat King Duncan. He makes his
beloved wife party to his dream and breathes new life into
her. Lady Macbeth and her husband work as a skillful team
on their way to the throne, but the king’s murder leads to
a steady stream of assassinations aimed at covering up
the sin of the initial murder. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
are haunted by feelings of guilt that gnaw at their sanity.
The rebels, who have risen up against Macbeth’s tyranny,
succeed in overthrowing his kingdom and establishing a new
order in it. Macbeth is a political play notable for its relevant
plot filled with surprises, and its trenchant statements on
power and its limitations, the lust for rule, and the ruler
as a man. “A masterpiece... All the actors are wonderful...
thrilling and colorful staging” Kalkalist
CoriolanusBy William Shakespeare, directed by Omri Nitzan
Coriolanus is an admired Roman general. He despises
Rome’s “democratic” laws that give his countrymen – the
hoi polloi – the right of free speech and criticism. He bows
to and accepts the authority of only one person: his mother.
It is therefore small wonder that this man’s tragedy takes
place when he decides to leave the army for politics, where
he has to curry favor from the ordinary citizens he despises.
And it is small wonder that his political career crashes even
before it has taken off. The people who had previously
admired him now drive him out of Rome. But Coriolanus is
not a man who surrenders easily. In exile, he approaches
the commander of the enemy army, and joins him in order
to destroy Rome, the city that exiled him.
Coriolanus is a gripping play about the clashes between
the military and politics, through the eyes of a man caught
between his ambition and the expectations of his career.
Shakespeare at the Cameri
photo: Daniel Kam
insky
Shakespeare, Richard III
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Mother Courage and Her Children By Bertolt Brecht, directed by Udi Ben-Moshe
Through a thrilling, heartbreaking human story, which
surprises us anew with its intricate subplots, the fate
of man in war is exposed, a war in which there are no
winners, only losers. Mother Courage, a canteen woman
who hauls her cart after the troops, favors survival and
livelihood. She believes that she will be able to outwit
the war, emerge from it and save her three children from
its jaws. She slowly comes to the realization that anyone
seeking to make a living from war has to give it something
in return. Mother Courage pays the heaviest price of all –
the lives of her three children. Director Udi Ben-Moshe,
who has successfully directed two of Brecht’s plays – The
Good Woman of Szechwan and The Caucasian Chalk Circle
– now reaches the pinnacle of Brecht’s works, the brilliant
Mother Courage and Her Children. “A sweeping and
thrilling production. Don’t miss” Kalkalist
The Richard ProjectContinued Successes
Richard II and Richard III, by William ShakespeareDirected by Arthur Kogan
Two of Shakespeare’s plays are performed alternately on
the same stage with the same cast. Richard II deals with
attempts by the ruling leadership to topple a leader whose
power has become weakened by highly-charged political
struggles. In contrast, standing at the center of Richard
III is a man in pursuit of power who makes his way to the
throne over anyone who stands in his way while extending
the limits of morality on his way to assuming rule. In the
view of many, the two works, each of which stands alone,
are joined in a saga engaging in rule, morality and Man.
“Great Shakespearean victory... superb ensemble” Haaretz;
“A rare theatrical experience” Kalkalist Richard III Winner of
Israeli Theatre Prize for Show of the Year, Best Translation,
Translator of the Year , Best Director and Best Actor in a
leading role, Supporting Actor of the Year, 2012
Hamlet Continued Successes
By William Shakespeare, directed by Omri Nitzan
“Tiran’s Hamlet is the crown jewel in Omri Nitzan’s
production, that made one appreciate a new theatrical
experience, that made one want to return to the theatre
and experience this riveting production again and again
and again. This production is undoubtedly the best thing
the Israeli theatre has seen in many years.” Plays International,
2005 “; A brilliant production with innovative direction and a
must see.” British Theatre Guide, 2005
Israeli Theatre Prize for Show of the Year, Director of the Year
Actor of the Year, Translator of the Year, Lighting Design,
2005
World Classics
Mother Courage and Her Children
photo: Daniel Kam
insky
Macbeth
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photo: Yossi Zwecker
Based on Horace McCoy,They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
Cyrano de BergeracBy Edmond Rostand, directed by Gilad Kimchi
Courageous soldier and a gifted poet, Cyrano has a huge
nose that makes him feel inferior and doesn’t permit him to
express his love to beautiful Roxanne.
He writes to her love songs and letters under the name of his
handsome comrade, Christian, who soon realizes that it isn’t
his beauty that attracts Roxanne, but the charming letters.
He begs his friend to admit his love, but before it happens,
Christian is killed in the battlefield, Roxanne withdraws to a
nunnery, and the secret of Cyrano’s love is never revealed.
“A masterpiece... enchanting… wonderful ensemble”
Kalkalist; “Captivating story of love and adventure” Haaretz
Contemporary World Drama
Frost/NixonBy Peter Morgan, directed by Oded Kotler
Well-known TV personality David Frost was able to
accomplish what the administration was unable to do. After
a series of tense interviews with President Richard Nixon,
Frost uncovers a decisive piece of information about the
Watergate affair, which ultimately led to Nixon’s resignation.
The Nixon team versus the Frost team, head to head,
sophistication versus cunning, white lies versus hidden
facts, the bitter struggle and the defeat of one that led to
the other’s triumph. Peter Morgan’s play, which has gained
world acclaim both in the theatre and television, relates the
story of the most powerful man on earth at the nadir of his
weakness. A play about politics and the media, presidency
and deceit, crime and punishment.
“Captivating theatre. Wonderful acting by Oded Teomi as
Nixon.” Haaretz
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Musicals and Musical Plays
Ken Ludwig, Lend Me A Tenor
photo: Gerard Allon
The BelovedWritten and directed by Amir Nizar Zuabi
Three religions share the story of Abraham, who almost
sacrfices his son. The play traces the scars on Isaac's
psyche after surviving the traumatic event. A provocative
drama with nameless characters, except for Abraham, which
opens the possibility that the son who returned from the
mountain could have been Isaac, or Ishmael. By the same
token, Abraham's wife could have neen Sarah or Hagar. In
so doing, the playwright-director invites Jews, Muslims, and
Christians to relate to the story in accordance with their
tradition, and see it through the eyes of their faith.
Our ClassBy Tadeusz SlobodzianekDirected by Hanan Snir
In Poland of 1925 a group of classmates, Jews and Catholics,
dream about what they will be when they grow up. But when
they are grown, Nationalism intensifies, violence escalates,
friends betray each other, and anti-Semitism takes on vast
dimensions, until a group of ordinary citizens commit a
heinous crime; masses of Jews are shot to death or burned
alive by their Polish neighbors. The playwright engages
with the complex and charged relationship between Jews
and Poles, bravely condemns Polish collaboration with the
Nazis, and discusses love and murderousness, memory and
forgetting, evil and compassion, which create a powerful,
shocking, and fascinating dramatic world.
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the ForumBased on Plautus, written by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim Directed by Omri Nitzan
A funny thing really does happen on stage in the style of
the Marx Brothers, Charlie Chaplin, and the 3000-year-old
Roman classicist Plautus, and they are more refreshing
than ever. A zany comedy dripping with lust and desire:
seventeen-year-old Hero is in love with the virgin whore
Philia who lives in the house of Marcus Lycus the pimp.
The unfortunate girl is sold to the braggart General Miles
Gloriosus, who is to take her with a party of his soldiers, if
Pseudolus (who fools everyone) does not succeed in foiling
the plot and rescue her from the general with the aid of the
slave Hysterium. From here on, a crazy and amusing circus
develops, which becomes increasingly complex in a plot
replete with unimaginable stratagems and sabotage.
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Fiddler on the RoofBased on the novel by Shalom Aleichem Directed by Moshe Kepten
Shalom Aleichem is considered by many in the world as
the greatest Jewish humorist of recent generations. He
took the story of Tevye the milkman and his daughters
and made it into a legend. Tevye, a poor Jew and father of
five daughters, tries to maintain his family according to
tradition in an increasingly Gentile-influenced environment.
He finds it difficult to deal with the contradictory desires
of his daughters, whose choice of men is unsatisfactory.
In addition to the trouble at home, the family lands on the
deportation order, ordering all Jews to leave their home
town. The story of Tevye and his daughters, which occurs at
the beginning of the twentieth century, continues to excite,
arouse interest, and be relevant to our lives today.
The Israeli Theatre Prize for Best Musical of the Year, Actor
of the Year, Choreographer of the Year, 2008
CabaretA musical play by Joe Masteroff, lyrics by Fred Ebb, music by John Kander, directed by Omri Nitzan
Early 1930’s in Berlin, just before Hitler rises to power:
political unrest, unemployment, drugs and prostitution, and
the escape from everyday despair to the vibrant nightlife.
Into this chaos enters Sally, an American singer-dancer who
performs at the renowned Kit Kat Club. Several characters
become part of her life: a German politician, a young Jewish
man, an American author, and of course, the charismatic
and demonic Emcee who is the only one who can see the
menacing big picture and reminds us what the terrible future
has in store... "Broadway in Tel Aviv. Omri Nitsan's Cabaret
provides that dimension with power and subtlety." Jerusalem
Post, 2011
The Israeli Theatre Prize for Show of the Year, Musical of the
Year, Director of the Year, Best Actor, Best Set Design of the
Year, 2011
HairThe American Tribal Love-Rock Musical, book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni, music by Galt MacDermot Directed by Moshe Keptan
The musical which premiered in 1987 is rooted in the “flower
children” period of the 1960s. A band of effervescent, long-
haired political activists have taken up the fight for peace,
equality, freedom, and amity between people. The story also
deals with unrequited love within the happy band. Jeanie
is in love with Claude who is in love with Sheila who is in
love with Berger, who is not interested in her at all and is a
closeted homosexual in love with Mick Jagger.
When it was first staged, Hair was a groundbreaking musical
that dared to show full nudity on stage, with a multi-ethnic
cast. Hair is not only the symbol of a period, it is a timeless
protest of young people for peace, openness, and fraternity.
KazablanBased on the play by Yigal Mossinsohn, adapted by Yigal Mossinsohn and Yoel Zilberg, lyrics by Dan Almagor, Amos Ettinger and Haim Hefer, music by Dubi Zeltzer, directed by Tsedi Tsarfati
The residents of a rundown 1950's Jaffa neighborhood, new
immigrants of varying ethnicity, are fighting against a city
order to demolish the neighborhood. Kazablan, a young
Moroccan, is in love with Rachel, the daughter of a Pole
who opposes his daughter's relationship with a "Morocco-
Knife." Kazablan becomes the leader of a just struggle, his
glorious military past is revealed, and he gains the blessing
of Rachel's parents.
"The most Israeli musical: innocent, righteous, with
wonderful songs" Haaretz
Israeli Theatre Prize for Musical of the Year, Best Supporting
Actress, Best Set Design of the Year, 2012
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Best FriendsBy Anat GovDirected by Gilad Kimchi
Thirty years of close friendship between Sophie, Tirza and
Leli reaches a painful conclusion. A year later they are
forced to meet unwillingly for one evening, during which
their entire friendship flashes before their eyes in a view
replete with wit, humor and sadness, love and hate, envy
and flattery.
This is the story of three women who grew up together
with the State of Israel from high school to adulthood,
when past and present merge and mutually influence one
another right up to the surprising ending.
A Cameri-Beit Lessin coproduction.
“Fresh and highly recommended theatrical entertainment”
Habama; “Excellent and relevant production” Globs
Lend Me a TenorBy Ken LudwigDirected by Moshe Naor
What happens when, in 1934, a world famous Italian tenor,
Tito Merelli, comes to the Cleveland Grand Opera to play
Othello in the opera of the same name?
Complete chaos! Double identities, sexual intrigue, a
jealous wife, local police and tranquilizers – all wrapped up
in a sweeping plot that takes place behind the scenes, in a
luxury hotel room, before and after the famous opera.
“Fluent directing filled with brilliant ideas, sophisticated
sets, music, an excellent translation, and above all,
wonderful actors…” Kalkalist
Continued Successes
Based on Fallada, Little Man, What Now?
photo: Daniel Kam
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A Family AffairWritten and directed by Edna Mazya
Beautiful, married, and unsatisfied, Ruth Stein, lives in
Heidelberg of the 1930’s with her family and has a torrid
affair with Robert, a young physics doctoral student.
Robert senses the winds of change blowing and emigrates
to Palestine, while Ruth remains with her family in ever-
darkening Europe. A surprising turnabout leads Ruth,
too, to emigrate to Palestine on the heels of her lover, but
will the old love from Europe bloom in pre-state Palestine
as well?
“A very successful stage adaptation to an excellent novel.”
Kalkalist
StempenyuBy Edna Mazya, directed byEdna Mazya and Yehezkel Lazarov
Stempenyu is a gifted musician. He leads a band of
klezmers that performs at weddings. People come from
all over Poland and Russia to hear him and his band.
Apart from being an admired musician, Stempenyu is also
a renowned heartbreaker. One day, Stempenyu falls in
love with the beautiful, but alas married, Racheli. Matters
become complicated when Racheli falls in love with him
too. Shalom Aleichem, one of the greatest Jewish writers,
has created a heartrending story of missed opportunity
that is all theatre and dance, with an abundance of colorful
characters. “Movement theatre at its best” Achbar Hayeer
Israeli Theatre Prize for Choreographer of the Year, 2012
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Written by Horace McCoy, Adapted by Shlomi Moskovich,directed by Dedi Baron
A dance marathon in America of the Great Depression, in
which eight couples dance themselves insensible. Horace
McCoy’s novel is a trenchant parable on the nature of
human existence. The play takes us behind the scenes of
the entertainment world and produces a revealing “reality”
show in which starving couples compete to the death
to satisfy the audience’s hunger for entertainment and
voyeurism.
Beyond the impressive Dancing and acerbic humor, is
concealed a cynical, alienated world in which human
compassion gives way to financial considerations.
“Impressive spectacle... Superb from all aspects. Perfect
execution” Makor Rishon; “Well done satire” Globs
Little Man, What Now? After the novel by Hans Fallada, adapted by Itay Tiran and Dori Parnes, directed by Itay Tiran
The action of this moving story by the bestselling author
of Alone in Berlin, Hans Fallada, takes place in Germany of
the 1920s and 30s, when the country is in a grave economic
crisis, and loses its identity. Two young lovers believe that
by virtue of their pure and perfect love they will be able to
surmount all the obstacles in the cruel, tough, and unjust
world without losing their human semblance. While leveling
trenchant social criticism, the playwright describes a world
with no way out that is both horrific and amusing, a world that
assails the little man trying to survive without relinquishing
a spark of optimism.
“Spectacular production... Enchanting and moving.” Haaretz;
“Captivating, high quality, well done.” Galats
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Happy EndBy Anat Gov, directed by Edna Mazya
“To be or not to be. That is not the question. The question
is how to be.” A musical fantasy on the non-spoken subject.
A new patient, Talia Roth, an actress in her late forties,
arrives at the outpatient department to begin a course of
treatment that should prolong her life. The encounter with
the old-timer women patients, and the understanding of
what is awaiting her, make her rethink how she would like to
end her life. She reaches some surprising decisions, which
rock the system that doesn’t know how to deal with her.
“Gov's writing is smart and intelligent. Wonderful staging
of Mazya and wonderful acting of all the ensemble.” Kalkalist
Israeli Theatre Prize for Best Supporting Actress, 2011
GhettoBy Joshua Sobol, directed by Omri Nitzan
This is the amazing story of a theatre that was active under
the inhuman circumstances of the Vilna Ghetto between
1942-1943. The play reveals the existential problems of life
in the ghetto and the day-to-day struggle of the Jews. This
colorful play, with its songs and dances, relates the story of a
group of people holding onto life and creativity, endeavoring
to survive despite the constant menace.
This play has become an Israeli classic, performed around
the world, and has garnered prestigious theatre awards. In
commemoration of the Holocaust of Hungarian Jews Ghetto
will give 4 performances in Budapest in 2014
“Excellent casting. . Ghetto is a spectacular production.”
Haaretz
The Israeli Theatre Prize for Best Director of the Year,
Best Supporting Actress, Best Set Design, 2010
Will the Two Walk Together? By A.B. Yehoshua, directed by Oded Kotler
In 1934 a series of secret meetings was held in London
between two bitter adversaries in the Zionist movement:
from the Left, David Ben-Gurion, and from the Right, Ze’ev
Jabotinsky, the revered Revisionist movement leader. The
aim of the meetings was reconciliation between the two
rival movements, preventing the secession of Jabotinsky’s
movement from the Zionist Organization, and the creation of
a new organization. Against the backdrop of these meetings,
A.B. Yehoshua has built a compelling political and personal
drama focusing on one of the decisive historic crossroads
in the history of Zionism.
“A stage for history... a splendid performance brings
together again Ben Gurion and Zabotinski on The Cameri
Stage.” Habama
Israeli Theatre Prize for Best Playwright of the Year, Prize for
Zionist Creation, Best Original Show of the Year, 2012
Between Two WorldsBy Sara von Schwarze, directed by Manfred LangnerCo-production with Shtuttgart Schauspielbuehnen
After a night out Abraham and his partner Sabine return to
their loft in Munich to find a burglar. The intruder is Ruth,
Abraham’s daughter. She has fled from an incident that
happened in Israel during her work as an assistant press
photographer in the Occupied Territories, an incident she
is not prepared to talk about. Through Ruth’s confrontation
with her father, who chose to convert to Judaism with his
ex-wife and immigrate to Israel, trenchant questions arise of
morality, identity, guilt, and parent-child relations. Through
the use of German and Hebrew, the characters grapple with
their mental and identity differences.
“Beautiful play, simple and realistic language... excellent
actors” Ahbar Haeer
The Israeli Theatre Prize for Best playwright of the year, 2012
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Warm FamilyBy Anat Gov, directed by Edna Mazya
A regular Friday evening family dinner turns into a battlefield
when one member of the family announces that she will not
be coming to the family Passover seder this year as she’s
going to celebrate it with friends. This new comedy by
Anat Gov - who wrote the hugely successful Best Friends,
Lysistrata 2000, Househusband and Oh God - examines the
pressures of Israeli family life and raises questions of love,
duty, slavery and freedom.
“Captivating, impressive, and exciting production” Haaretz;
“Impressive quality in a tempting packaging.” Haaretz
School for WivesBy Molière, directed by Udi Ben-Moshe
Molière wrote this comedy in 1662. At the play’s center
stands Arnolphe, a wealthy bourgeois who is convinced
that all women cuckold their husbands. He buys a farmer’s
four-year-old daughter, Agnès, and sends her to be raised in
a nunnery with the intention of perpetuating her innocence
and loyalty, and keep her for himself. But life does its work,
and in his absence she and young Horace meet and fall in
love. 350 years later, men are still trying to mold women
into their dream ideal, and women are still fighting for equal
rights and opportunity.
“Outstanding direction by Udi Ben Moshe, Rami Baruch
is spectacular... Ezra Dagan is a wonderful comedian.”
De Marker Café; “A bright and clever production” Yediot Achronot
Israeli Theatre Prize for Best Composer, 2012
The Servant of Two MastersBy Carlo Goldoni, directed by Moni Moshonov
An amusing and surprising comedy of errors, the Hebrew
version was rendered - in his virtuosic language -
by playwright-translator Nissim Aloni.
The miserly merchant Pantalone wants to marry his daughter
to the son of the learned doctor after her husband-to-be
is killed in a duel. The dead fiancé’s sister is desperately
seeking her own beloved who stands accused of killing the
brother. Disguised as a man to protect herself, she appears
at Pantalone’s house, causing a furor and complicating
matters. With her is her servant, whose empty belly forces
him to find an additional master.
“Very entertaining performance” Ahbar Haeer ; “A masterpiece
of exact comic orchestration” Maariv
WoyzeckBy Georg Büchner, directed by Itay Tiran
The play is considered to be one of the most important and
riveting in world drama. The hero, Woyzeck, is an infantry
officer’s batman and a doctor’s guinea pig. He runs around
from dawn to dusk to satisfy both his masters. He gives
his pay to Mary, who bore him a child out of wedlock.
But the vivacious Mary surrenders to the blandishments
of another man, who seduces her. Woyzeck, mad with
jealousy, murders her for betraying him. Büchner wrote the
play as a harsh indictment of a ruthless society that brought
Woyzeck into this situation.
“Itay Tiran’s production proves he is a rare actor who can
double as director” Haaretz ; “Vivid intelligence at work”
The Jerusalem Post
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Rumplestiltskin (Ootz-lee-gootzlee)By Avraham Shlonsky and Dubi Zeltzer, directed by Ronny Pinkovich, original version by Yossi Yizraeli
How do you change straw to gold? You will learn in this
spectacular production that has become an Israeli classic.
If you saw this production when you were children, come
see it again to delight your children and their grandchildren.
“A children production from the old days, don’t miss!”
Yediot Ahronot; “Rich language, wonderful rhythm, delightful
rhyming.” Maariv
Israeli Theatre Prize for Musical of the Year, Costume
Designer of the Year, Movement Designer of the Year, 2002
HavdalaWritten and directed by Shmuel Hasfari
A meeting between two families from different worlds,
different cities - Hulon and Jerusalem - leads to a sequence
of unexpected events and puts the power of love to a
rigorous test.
“Excellent cast... entertaining performance that touches
the core of Israeli culture.” Maariv; “Anat Waksman is simply
hypnotizing in her most impressive role, wonderful to
watch Gil Frank, Moti Katz is simply wonderful... highly
recommended.”De Marker Café
Hanoch Levin in the Cameri
The Hanoch Levin Institute of Israeli Drama
The institute promotes the writing of original
Israeli drama, translations, and productions
of Israeli plays internationally. Once a year,
the Institute holds the Isradrama festival, a
showcase of productions of Israeli plays.
The institute is named after Hanoch Levin, one
of Israel major playwrights.
photo: Yossi Zwecker
Levin, Popper
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RequiemWritten and directed by Hanoch Levin
Based on three short stories by Anton Chekhov.
In a remote village, somewhere in a big country, live two old
people, husband and wife. They fall sick and die, regretting
the lives they had lived. A young mother carrying her dying
baby wanders through the fields in search of a cure for him.
A bereaved wagoner with no one to confide in transports
drunkards and whores who are in pursuit of happiness.
Cherubs who pass through gather up the souls of the dead.
On tour in China, Germany, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Greece,
Hungary . “With Requiem, Levin hits sublime highlights in
the art of theatre.” Jerusalem Post, 1999
Israeli Theatre Prize for Show of the Year, Playwright of
the Year, Director of the Year, Supporting Actor, Costume
Design, Lighting Design, 2000
Make My Heart FlutterBy Hanoch Levin, directed by Udi Ben Moshe
The first production of this Levin play is a polished and witty
comedy with dialogues in the best of Levinesque style. Judge
Lemka’s lover, the singer Lalala, is unable to reach the high
notes because of a bunion on her foot. When he finds, much
to his amazement, a French suitor whom his lover fobs off as
a pedicurist, and an Italian, a Spaniard, a Turk, a Yugoslav
and an Albanian, who visit her home to be at her service
as an inhaler, a pianist, an accordionist, etc. Lemka vows
to specialize in all these fields to get rid of his competitors.
“...it is one great production...” Jerusalem Post, 2007
Israeli Theatre Prize for Show of the Year, Playwright of the
Year, Director of the Year, Actor of the Year, Actress of the
Year, Composer of the Year, 2007
PopperBy Hanoch Levin, directed by Moni Moshonov
Schwartz and Schwartzisca make up after a sweet squabble,
thanks to the mediation of Popper, during which certain
secrets are revealed. This interference arouses in Schwartz a
hot desire for Popper’s death. Deeply hurt, Popper falls ill and
begs his friend Katz to find him a bride. Culpa, a prostitute,
is willing against suitable renumeration. Popper thinks he
has found love and recovers. The Schwartzes take Popper’s
happiness as a personal affront. Schwartz “seduces” Culpa
with further renumeration, and on her bridal night she packs
to leave. Popper falls ill again, this time for good.
The Cameri center for international theatreHolds yearly international festivals, including The Hanoch Levin Festival, Shakespeare Festival, with surtitles in Hebrew, English, Russian, and French
Among the theatres hosted by The Cameri:
The Berliner Ensemble
Deutsches Theatre
Schaubuhne, Berlin
The National Theatre of Norway
National Theatre of China, Beijing
TR Warszawa
The Public Theatre, New York
Munchner Kammerspiele
Mayakovsky Theatre, Moscow
Narodowy Teatr, Warsaw
The National Theatre of Toulouse
Meno Fortas
Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre
Ljubljana City Theatre
Nowy Teatr, Poznan
Yevgeny Mironov Theatre, Moscow
Volksbuhne, Berlin
National Theatre, Bucharest
The National Theatre of the Czech Republic
photo: Gady D
agon
Tel Aviv-YafoFirstInternationalTheatreFestival
פסטיבלהתיאטרון
הבין-לאומיהראשון
של תל אביב-יפו
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Exit the KingBy Eugene Ionesco Adapted and directed by Rina Yerushalmi
King Beranger is informed that he is dying, and the
kingdom is crumbling. He has lost the power to control his
surroundings and is slowly losing his physical capabilities.
He is in denial of his death and refuses to give up power.
Berenger’s first wife, Marguerite, along with the doctor, try
to make Berenger face the reality of his impending death.
Berenger’s second wife, Marie, sympathetically attempts
to keep Berenger from the pain of knowing his death is
imminent. Gradually, he accepts that he is going to die.
Golden Porcupine Prize for Best Production of the Year, Best
Director, Best Lighting Designer, 2013
Itim Theatre Ensemble
Erez Hasson
[email protected]: 972-544359533
Krapp’s Last TapeBy Samuel Beckett, directed by Rina Yerushalmi
Krapp, a failed and lonely writer still waiting for recognition
of his literary work, spends his sixty-ninth birthday listening
to past tape recordings of himself in preparation for a new
recording. This is a journey back in time, the journey of a man
seeking the meaning of his life, when the drama unfolds in
his soul, between who he is in the present and who he was
in the past, between someone who evidently he cannot be
in the future. At a time in which more than ever before, “to
live is to document and be documented,” Krapp could be
any one of us.
“Tavori's performance is awesome and so intense, every
small gesture has a meaning” Haaretz
The Cameri with Rina Yerushalmi’s Itim Ensemble
photo: Gady D
agon
Exit the King
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photo: Daniel Kam
insky
Based on Fallada, Little Man, What Now? Rehearsal
Cameri 4, seats 160 Cameri 5, Cyrus and Myrtle KatzenAuditorium , seats 193
Cafe' Theatre, seats 100
Cameri 2, seats 419 Cameri 3, seats 163
Cameri HallsCameri 1, Yosef Milo Auditorium, seats 932
The Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv International relations department
30 Leonardo Da Vinci st., P.O.B. 14033Tel Aviv 64369, IsraelTel +972 3 606 1979, Fax + 972 3 606 1961www.cameri.co.il