Echoing the headline in the November issue of 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 (Yaron Kerbel’s physical theatre "Bleeding"), another two families’ tireless attempt to match, and to mate, their ugly and impotent son and daughter (Hanoch Levin’s, the country’s most highly revered playwright, gloomy comedy “Yakish and Pupche”); to two teenage sisters who believe their over-commanding mother once served for the Third Reich (Yael Tilman’s “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" by Michal Svironi who was molding clay in her hilarious tale of a woman who was never satisfied with what a man gave her.

In a small-scaled musical play “The Mad Song of the Land”, the young ensemble, all in white clothes, sing, speak, and symbolically paint the history of Israel without microphones to the accompaniment of a guitar and a piano. In a multi-disciplinary modern performance “Stones” by Orto-Da Theatre Group, six pantomime artists covered themselves in Dead Sea mud, and breathed life into the Labrador granite statuettes of a World War II infamous monument.

The venues range from a large theatre complex like the Cameri Theatre, to a smaller center like the Tzavta Theatre, a cluster of three rooms on an underground floor of a commercial building, and an even smaller one like the Tmuna Theater, whose exterior looks more like a car garage yet totally lives up to its subtitles “Interdisciplinary Cultural Centre” and “A home for Artists and Audience”.

All of these have a wide variety of stage and audience seat configurations, and effectively cater to the nature of each production. A stand-alone 500-seat proscenium playhouse run by a world-famous company the Gesher Theatre provides a more formal, though not less refreshing, theatergoing experience. Within its walking distance and right in the middle of Jaffa, an old neighborhood architecturally dominated by limestone buildings, is another intimate space known as the Hasimta 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."

“Like the way I have different venues like Studio 9, Studio 1, and Theatre in the Garden for different styles and level of professionalism, here they range from small stages for fringe styled productions for the young and recently graduated to try out new ideas, to the fully equipped medium to large playhouses.”

“Although some modern experimental productions here are not faultlessly staged, like  ‘Born to Bite’, they’re very enjoyable, especially for the young viewers who will soon become theatre’s main target audience."

"This is in contrast with rather classical productions by larger companies like the Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv’s ‘Make My Heart Flutter’ and the Khan Theatre of Jerusalem’s ‘Othello’. They’re good, not exceptional, but older generations of audiences show up to see the works of veterans whose performance they’ve watched for many years. That is to say, revival of old works need to remain in order to showcase true skills.”

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."

“It has all flavors, like Thai food. It’s classical and yet contemporary. The use of space shows much creativity, and all cast members excel. Their acting skills have crystallized and the actors are effortless and relaxed. I think when a theatre production has all these qualities, it touches the hearts and engages the minds of all generations of playgoers.”

The writer’s trip was made possible by the Israeli Embassy in Bangkok.

written by Pawit Mahasarinand

      edited from an article published in The Nation on January 2, 2008.