November is a time of hardship, but with cultural events: the Tmuna Festival that does not give up on reality, the Erizo Dorado awards and “Work off Art”, a Pop Up that redefines the work space.
By Chiquita Levov, text and photos
Tmuna Festival 2024
The festival is titled this year “Don't give up on reality” is the phrase that sets the theme of the festival. Artistic directors Dr. Erez Maayan Shalev and Itai Doron declare “it is our chance to clarify the “now”, it is the performative thermometer of what is burning. And this year, perhaps more than ever, it is of great importance to partner, initiate and accompany new and challenging work, which offers a deep, contradictory and courageous immersion in the reality of our lives.” They add that this year's festival will feature a mix of veteran and outstanding creators, along with creators of both sexes whose first work is outside of educational institutions and in whom one can recognize the “special glow of passion, courage and uniqueness.” From 17 to 27.11. At “Tmuna”. More information:
Alongside the above, a new documentary series entitled “Memento” is being launched, initiated and artistically directed by Avi Gibson Bar-El and Einat Weizmann. It is an important milestone in Israeli theater and continues the line of the current documentary season of the Tmuna Theater, whose theme is “Reality is stranger than fiction.” These are courageous and profound premieres that reveal the ongoing struggles to define the place in which we live. In addition, the cooperation with members of the organization of independent creators of theater and performing arts continues, for the exhibition and conference, as well as for the traditional annual celebration as it is presented within the walls of the theater.
The program includes: “Shura” (The Art of Identifying Life) by Tmuna Ensemble and Roy Yosef, which premieres in Tel Aviv after its exciting debut at the Israel Festival. A poetic documentary about life and death in the Shura camp. BurgherKing (On the King's Road)) by Ariel Wolf a theatrical adaptation based on a play of the same name by the Nobel Prize-winning Austrian novelist Elfriede Jelinek, which deals with the relationship between the individual and the ruler. “Waiting for Benevolence” Lilach Avneri, Tami and Ronen Itzhaki read a renewed reading of Aeschylus’ canonical text “Benevolence”. Field: conference, performance and gallery exhibition following research to map the field of independent theatre in Israel.
Sheinfld and Laor
Situation image: A look at the year that was through an exhibition of texts created by Dr. Idit Soslik which analyzes the events of reality through a monthly word. "Right now”, 4 plays of what is happening now, from the Bezalel School of Visual Theatre and Film, the Yoram Loewinstein Drama Studio and the Goodman School of Drama in Be'er Sheva. “Bobby and Puch”, the first duo created 20 years ago by Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor, in a new version. “On the Bones of the Dead” by Yotam Gotel, with Naomi Yoeli and design of Efrat Fairies is a stage adaptation of Olga Tokarchuk’s philosophical thriller about murder, nature, family and revenge. Premiere of debut works by 4 new creators, recent graduates of the directing course at the “Seminar Kibbutzim”.
Kipod Hazahav Fringe Award"2024
“The Golden Hedgehog 2024”. The “Golden Hedgehog” Association (Golden Hedgehog Association) which is responsible for independent theatre, Fringe and Street Theatre, is also the one that selects the winners of the “Kipod Hazahav” award. It has published the “short list” of the works and shows that made it to the final of the competition, and it represents the best of the independent and street theatre works created during the past year in Israel. The festival will close with the “Golden Hedgehog” award ceremony, directed by Yael Goldberg. At this ceremony, the award for lifetime achievements will be presented to Gaby Aldor, on 29.11 at the Tzavta Theatre. The works selected for the Golden Hedgehog and other special events will be presented to the general public in various venues from 17 to 29.11. More information: https://www.kipodhazahav.co.il/he/
Aldor – Iafo Theatre
The directors of the association, Noa Schechter and Moshe Perlstein, say: “Despite the difficult year, independent Israeli work did not stop, and this year 76 plays, both indoor and street, were submitted to the committee, some of which were even written after the war.” A panel of 23 judges watched programs and events across the country, choosing from the 76 submitted performances the 20 selected for the “short list.” The members of the Golden Hedgehog Academy are a group of creators and theater professionals, who after reviewing the plays, will choose the final winners in various categories.
Gaby Aldor She has been rightly chosen to receive the Golden Hedgehog Lifetime Achievement Award for 2024, for her special contribution to Israel’s Fringe theatre. Aldor, actress, director, playwright, choreographer, translator, critic, writer and dance teacher. One of the founders of the Association of Independent Choreographers and pioneers of independent theatre in Israel. The committee states: “With her playful style she accompanied many creators, persistently combining the worlds of independent theatre and dance.” A celebration event will be held on 26.11 in honour of Gaby and to commemorate her birthday. At Iafo Theatre with free admission.
“M 16”
Some works on the short list: “M 16 Image of a Victory”, written and directed by Avi Gibson Bar- The for the Smartut Group. “Ahronchik – the Spy at the Gate of the Valleys” by Yonatan Levy and Joseph Sheprincek, “Signals” created by Gili and Uri Bachar, “How to Remain a Humanist After a Massacre in 17 Steps” by Maya Arad Yassour. “On the Way Home: A Sign of Return” by Daniel Cohen Levy and the Tmuna Theatre. “Morning of Fools” by Yitzhak Ben Ner, directed by Rina Baruch. “Personal Meeting” by Maya Koren, directed by Yael Goldberg. “Daniel My Husband” by Michael McKeever, “The Triangle Theatre”. And 3 plays by Incubator Theater: “Ahinoam and I” written and directed by Elon Farber, “Wonderfully Alive” directed by Ila Dangor,
“Family on the Train” by Eldad Cohen.
New Pop Up: “Work Off Art” by Yaara Sachs
Yeara Sachs
In the former plant of the dairy company “Tara” the new pop-up exhibition “Work Off Art” was opened to the general public, something like ““working outside of art” pointing out “an unusual day at the office” or any other workplace. It is a new exhibition by the curator Yaara Sachs, who has already opened other pop-up exhibitions, in places destined for destruction. She is the curator of the Tel Aviv Pop Up Museum, of the exhibition entitled Wonderland at the Imperial Hotel, which has been very successful. This time it is an old factory in Tel Aviv, with 27 office spaces and 18 walls used by 43 artists. Yaara tells us that “The exhibition redefines traditional office spaces and work in an old factory in the heart of Tel Aviv.” The result is fascinating. It will be open for a few months. At Igal Alon 119, Tel Aviv. More information: https://work-off-art.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxOrXNZ1sE0
Yaara adds: “Imagine a former business complex with industrial spaces and offices in Tel Aviv, each of which has become a canvas for the craziest ideas of artists who will make offices and spaces in the complex to create fanciful art. After the Corona epidemic, the boundaries between work and personal life were blurred like never before. When remote work became a norm, the traditional office space has undergone a final change, which caused the re-examination of the work-life balance. As part of the show, each artist was given an office, wall or industrial space in the complex. The exhibition investigates how artists deal with these changes and offers insights into the relationship between work and personal fulfillment. Visitors can participate and discover how a design that defines work-life balance is realized.
center courtyard
Some projects: in the central courtyard, a variety of huge murals, cars that have become works of art by many artists and a huge wall painting, all refer to the integration of work and the personal life of the artist. In other spaces: a large kinetic keyboard that hovers like a cloud and takes over our private space. Moran Gross has created more than 400 mice that took an office and turned it into a mouse race, a metaphor for our lives. Tamara Csengeri created an office in a surreal concept, where the rustling of algae replaces the hum of fluorescent lights, the glow of coral reefs replaces the sterile tones of the office and the sound of waves replaces the ringing of telephones.
Moran's Mice