What the Israeli stage teaches

Published on January 2, 2008

Plonter

Echoing the headline in Time Out Israel - "It's a free country" - the freedom of dramatic expression in that country was evident during last month's "International Exposure" theatrical programme. There was freedom in the diversity of subject matter, the style of presentation and the production scale, effectively backed up by the multiplicity of performance venues.

The stories presented ranged from a family's mourning over the loss of their son ("Bleeding") to two teenage sisters who believe their mother once served the Third Reich ("Hitler, The Robot and The Knife").

Our itinerary also included a bilateral commentary on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ("Plonter"), a satire on 1950s guides to looking good ("Be Beautiful: A Musical Cabaret") and a series of satirical comedy skits called "Born to Bite".

In terms of styles, one-woman performances ranged from "Pshuta: Denuded" - Miki Peleg-Rothstein's heartbreaking personal stories of her stepfather and deaf mother - to "a short and in-depth erotic play" titled "The Woman that Breathes Too Much".

The venues ranged from a large complex, the Cameri Theatre, to a smaller centre, the Tzavta Theatre. It was noteworthy that, although each venue has its own house company, all were open for other troupes that aren't financially strong enough to maintain their own space.

Hence, none were tagged, as in the way we have a playhouse specifically built for Broadway-style musicals here in Thailand.

"What I've watched here gives me confidence," Bangkok theatre director Patravadi Mejudhon said at the end of her visit to Israel. "Theatre artists in another country are also doing what I'm doing and experimenting with at my theatre."

"Although some modern experimental productions here are not faultlessly staged, they're very enjoyable, especially for the young viewers who will soon become theatre's main target audience."

Having watched 24 theatre productions in five days, Patravadi singled out the Cameri Theatre's "Hamlet" as her favourite.

"I've watched many productions of the play and this is the most comprehensible one. It shows me why we still need [to watch] 'Hamlet'. It's the first time watching a Shakespeare play that I cried, not with sorrow, but from understanding the truth that the same political problem still recurs today."

The writer can be contacted at Pawit.M@chula.ac.th. His trip was made possible by the Israeli Embassy in Bangkok.

 Pawit Mahasarinand

 Special to The Nation