Two major events stand out in the Tel Aviv Fringe: the staging of Rina Yerushalmi’s “King Lear” and the opening of the new home of the Niko Nitai Theatre.
By Chiquita Levov text and photos.
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Rina Yerushalmi
"“King Lear” by Rina Yerushalmi and Doron Tavori
These days the “Itim Assembly” puts on stage “King Lear”, a very well-known work by Shakespeare, but this time it is a very special theatrical version since it is the product of the direction of Rina Yerushalmi, an excellent director with very innovative ideas regarding the presentation of the classics. She also has the co-direction of another great artist Doron Tavori who acts as King Lear. What the viewer sees on stage, in addition to a cast of excellent actors, is “a world of power, domination, destruction and lust for power and greed that is the kingdom of King Lear.” A fascinating and very current adaptation as it sums up the concern for evil, suffering and death and reinforces its relevance in the face of the difficult situation of current Israeli reality. The project is supported by “TA Culture Da Vinci”, a municipal cultural institution that opened a year ago and is the venue where the play is being presented. In Tel Aviv. At Leonardo da Vinci 14. On September 24 and 25, and December 6 and 7. More information: https://itimensemble.com/shows/
King Lear
Rina Yerushalmi is a veteran and highly prominent Israeli theatre and opera director, choreographer, founder and artistic director of the “Itim AssemblyShe is a professor of acting and directing at the Department of Theatre Arts at Tel Aviv University. Her education and studies combine dance, movement and acting. She began her training in Israel and then in England she studied classical dance. Rina received an honorary doctorate from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2001 and the Israel Prize for Theatre in 2008, among many other awards.
The director believes that King Lear describes a world that is a disintegrating structure, a world of complete social breakdown, of a civilization that is crumbling. A corrupt and brutal world, with no law other than the law of the jungle, where the human will is controlled by the appetite for satisfaction and self-interest,
where man faces the emptiness of life and lets himself be carried away by his passions, without values, without principles, without borders, without conscience or feelings. A father castrates his daughter, a son has his father's eyes torn out, daughters see their father grow old, driving him mad and causing him to die, a sister murders her sister, a brother throws the body of the brother he has just murdered behind his back and keeps walking.
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Attentive to the concept of “nothingness,” Rina Yerushalmi produces a performance that seems to deal with this theme. This concept is expressed on a sand stage, like the one that characterized her first, groundbreaking production, the unforgettable “Hamlet.” The stage is set up in a wide, open space, the audience sits around it, and the actors work in the inner circle. The actors interact with the audience that surrounds them on all sides, establish contact with all directions at once, and when they are not acting or in their role, they sit among the audience. This is how Yerushalmi produces several layers of “existence” – in the center of the circle and around it.
“Niko Nitai Theatre”: New Home of the Tel Aviv Fringe
Dorit Nitai
Niko Nitai Theater has just opened its new theater venue in Tel Aviv’s Beit Teper, celebrating the launch of the new theater, along with a new gallery and library, with a festive event. Director Dorit Nitai, Niko’s daughter who continues his work, says: “Creating a house of culture, a new marginal theater, in a time when there is so much pain and we don’t know what to hold on to becomes a mission. The desire to sow seeds of hope through creation and art because one day the fog will lift and what will remain and stand out is what we sow during this time.” The opening featured the premiere of “I Was and I Am – Alexander Penn,” an original show about the last, intimate and lesser-known chapter of the poet’s life, starring Eyal Schechter. Written and directed by Dorit. The opening is accompanied by a variety of performances from the repertoire and discussions with artists throughout the month of September. Tel Givorim Street 5, Iafo. More information:
The work
Niko Nitai Theater is Israel’s first internationally recognized fringe theater with a strong cultural and social vision. It has been in operation for 23 years, presenting unique original productions that have been honored in Israel and the world, along with many diverse cultural events. It was located in Tel Aviv’s Central Station and after its closure more than 2 years ago it continued to work in other venues, with the aim of “fulfilling Niko’s cultural-social vision even after his death.” Under the direction of Dorit Nitai, it continues the innovative legacy of her father, one of the pioneers of fringe theater, who advocated direct contact between the artist and the spectator.
Other events that took place at the opening event: “Compas,” a new exhibition that opens the gallery with the participation of several artists, addressing the cycles of life through the concepts of home and man. “The Library of Niko Nitai” is a rare literary collection that was completely moved from Niko’s residence and contains reference books, prose, poetry and art, some of which have archival value. It will be open to the public.