The 33rd edition of Theatronetto, the solo-performance festival established by the late producer Yaakov Agmon, started on Wednesday in Acre with two one-woman shows: Yoreshet (Heiress), written by Adi Grof and performed by Yael Sadan, followed by By Shamira Imber.
Inspired by Imber’s 2005 radio newscast, in which she thanked the public and bid it farewell after roughly three decades of broadcasting, Yoav Ginai wrote the play, with Meirav Gruber inhabiting the role.
A highly personal performance, Heiress is an encounter between the audience and a young woman who nervously urges members to celebrate with her. The odd contrast – between the centuries-old crusader-built hall, the colorful helium-filled balloons, and the Adhan calling Muslims to pray from Al-Jazzar Mosque – offered a remarkable mix of unease and discovery as she pleaded for emotional release.
Yosef Grof, father of the playwright, was taken hostage in 1982 during the First Lebanon War and released in 1985 during the Jibril Agreement. Hamas founder Ahmed Yassin was included in the exchange; he formed the terrorist group in 1987.
“The entire trajectory of my life is connected to Hamas,” the young woman on stage informed us: “Hamas exists because of me.”
“From the moment I was born, I have been in debt to this state for the privilege of existing,” she said.Sadan, in black heels and an elegant black dress, gave an emotionally raw performance that tilted between female rage and depression over the inability ever to be released of this debt.
Reflections on history's brutality
As she described how, as a child, she imagined the blood-crusted torturing instruments used by the Syrians to extract her father’s teeth – teeth that are a part of his skeleton and, by extension, hers – I was reminded of The Butcher, Jazzar Pasha, after who the nearby mosque is named and who sliced off the nose of his Jewish adviser Haim Farhi.
Written after the October 7 Hamas invasion of Israel, the unique Acre festival space allowed a much more extensive history of brutality and violence to seep into this highly relevant show.
“We have lost a long time ago,” Sadan shared from the stage, referring to the current war.
Maintaining some measure of savoir-vivre in such conditions might be as futile and optimistic as brightening a fortress hall by inflating party balloons.
GRUBER’S DEPICTION of Shamira Imber was a tour de force. Many audience members lined up to shake the hand of director Alon Ofir for this excellent homage.
The performance weaves together aspects from Imber’s biography into a whole tapestry. She was a flower child in California during the 1960’s and took part in the 1970 Israeli production of Hair, the performance also deals with her frank views concerning human relationships.
A truthful, at times iconoclastic person, Imber represented an era in Israel’s culture. During those years, the sort of Hebrew spoken on the airwaves was meant to be formal and flawless if possible. This led to an unintended comical effect, with the language used in state media being extremely formal and divorced from everyday speech.Imber, the cousin of poet Naftali Herz Imber who penned the national anthem, possessed both total masterly of Hebrew and a down-to-earth personality which endeared her to her many listeners.
Gruber gifted the audience a beautiful performance of a woman at peace with herself, able to explore the entire gamut of human life from infancy to death. She received a standing ovation.
Four other performances are competing during this festival. These include Sorer veMore (An Unruly Son) by Moti Brecher, which promises to combine fringe theater puppetry and biblical themes; Man Up performed by Ofer Greenberg, a tragic comedy about military service; Tell Me What I Feel Like, created by Nimrod Peleg, which depicts millennial sexuality; and concluding with Lo Normali (Abnormal), where Guy Meroz confronts the painful issues of depression and mental health.
After a festival opening focused on female perspectives on Israeli life and its many possible breaking points, it will be interesting to see what the festival might offer concerning male viewpoints.
‘Heiress’ will be offered on Tuesday, April 23, at 5 pm and 7:30 pm, and Thursday, April 25, at 10 pm at the Old Jaffa Museum of Antiquities, 10 Mifratz Shlomo Street. ‘By Shamira Imber’ will be offered on Tuesday, April 23, at 10 pm and Wednesday, April 24, at 5 pm and 7:30 pm at Jaffa Theater (exact location). ‘Abnormal’ will be offered on Wednesday, April 24, at 10 pm and on Thursday, April 25, at 5 pm and 7:30 pm at Jaffa Theater.
For more information, visit shorturl. a t/aAFR0. NIS 80 per ticket.Hebrew only. Call *9066 to book.