Our production Everyone and his water won 5 prizes at the national ASSITEJ awards ceremony including : Best Choreography, Best Actor, Best Play, Best Direction and Best Production!

We have produced two new productions that deal with our current situation following October 7th:

A Little Light by Aviv Luz is a romantic comedy pairing an American girl who comes to volunteer at a hospital in Israel with an Israeli soldier who recently completed his service and plans to go to America to “make it” as a singer. Fate brings them together as bomb sirens sound.

Don’t Panic written and directed by Ram Gueta is an innovative drama which blends rap performance with tic toc and live video to deal with fear and trauma among Israeli youth today

Gimpel the Fool Returns to Poland won the Best Documentary at the Punta Des Estes Jewish Film Festival in Uruguay. It was later presented at film festivals in Winnipeg Canada and at the Film and Faith Film festival in Argentina. It will be presented at the Newada Film Festival in India October 2024 and at the Chutzpa Festival in Vancouver in November.

Our new production “The Good Wolf”  depicts the amazing true story of Mishka Ziberstein who as a youth  was forced to leave his family, escape from the ghetto, and hide in the woods where a special friendship is woven between him and a wolf.

The production is ground-breaking retelling of a Holocaust story -a fantasy adventure blending dance music video art into a breathtaking emotional experience.

The production premiered at the Haifa International Theatre Festival where it garnered 5 important prizes: Best Production/Best Direction/Best Choreography/Best Video Art and Best Actor.

We are starting our “post pandemic” and our return to routine with the world premiere of  two wonderful new comedies :

Black Pepper- A New production set in Israel during the covid pandemic while the entire country is in a lock-down. A comedy by Aviv Luz directed by Howard Rypp and starring Gilles Ben David and Daniel Imharan,  it pairs two very different characters- an aging Moroccan puppeteer with a young Ethiopian rapper who volunteers to bring him groceries. The conflicts arising from these difficult times are resolved as they help one another to be proud of their heritage and  create the Art  they contribute while fulfilling themselves

Without an Evil Eye- A New production written by Sarel Peterman and Asaf Ben Shimon this one man play is an innovative  comedy blending theatrical story telling and stand-up comedy to recount the inspiring  true life story of Asaf Ben Shimon whose gradually descent into blindness enabled him to see and affirm the gift of life. A play which promises to delight and inspire everyone.

In the shadow of the Carona Nephesh Theatre determinedly pushes ahead:

We have produced the world premiere of an adaptation of the award winning novel by Sami Michael “ Love Among the Palm Trees”

After presenting the play around the world in English for the past 15 years and in Yiddish for that 3 years we have produced “Gimpel the Fool” based on the classic story by I B Singer in Hebrew

We have adopted three quality productions from Theatre Shoresh- “The Tiger” “Pieces of Chocolate” and "An Israeli love Story” which  will soon be presented in English  and join our Touring English Repertory

All these productions will be presented at our annual festival for junior high and high school teachers at three theatres of the ZOA house on this August 4th

Howard Rypp won the Best Actor Prize for his performance of Gimpel the Fool at the ALBOMONO Festival in Albania June 2019

For the 2019-20 season Nephesh Theatre has produced 3 new productions:

1. “Made in Israel” a world premiere of a one woman play written by and starring Aviva Nagosa

2. “The Third Third” a new production of the classic play by Jeff Meschel which ran in the past for 23 seasons and making over 2000 presentations. This new production stars Ruth Geller/Dina Limon, Hanee Peretz and Shiran Shachar Directed by Howard Rypp and Designed by Beatriz Hal

3. “Yossel Rakover Speaks to God” – a Hebrew premiere of the story by Zvi Kolitz adapted and starring Shmuel Atzmon and Directed by Motti Sandok.

This years Sigdiada Festival (of Ethioppian Culture) will be held in November 2019 at the Kameri Theatre of Tel Aviv and in Yavne, Yokneam and Kiryat Ekron

Three New Productions in Hebrew:

Tuesdays with Morrie -based upon the best seller by Mitch Albom starring Albert Cohen and Lavie Zytner Directed by Howard Rypp

Wiesenthal by Tom Dugan Translated by Beatriz Hal Directed by Emilia Cohen and Starring Yuval Cohen

Two On One Roof -Based upon the play Robinson and Crusoe Adapted and Directed by Dori Engel a Co- Production with Theatre Elmina in Hebrew and Arabic

All of these will be presented at our main marathon at the ZOA House on July 11th culminating in an evening celebrating the Nephesh Theatre’s 40th Anniversary

The Sigdiada Festival which we are producing to celebrate Ethiopian Art and Culture will expand to include 3 days at the Habima National Theatre as well as in Ramle and Yokneam November 2017

 After successful performances of “Regarding the Bird” at the Theatre der Jungen Welt in Leipsig Germany the National Theatre there will present a producton in German  In its 2018 repertorty

New productions- World Premieres

 “One Voice” a rock musical about sexual harassment by Hagit Bodankin and directed by Osnat Zibil

“SmileBurger” writen and directed by Tom Wolonicz is iinspired by a group of youth who stood up their rights against the tycoon of a fast food chain

TOURS

Gimpel the Fool at LIMMUD Birmingham December 2016

Regarding the Bird Theatre de Jungen VWelt Leipsig Germany March 2017

 The Lady and the Peddlar La Ma Ma Theatre New York City April 2017

NEIGHBORS at the Naj Naj Festival Croatia May 2017

Gimpel the Fool in Yiddish Romanuia October 2017

NEIGHBORS in India December 2017

TOURS IN 2016:

“Gimpel the Fool” will be presented at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival also this July 2016

"Exodus from Egypt" tours Turky,  August 2016

”It sounds better in Amharic" tours Berlin,Septembet 2016

The award winning ‘Regarding the Bird” tours Romania in October 2016,

3 New Productions:

 “The Rain and the Wind”  the premiere  a multi-media dance/theatre project based upon the songs and life of Bob Dylan –Adapted and Directed by Howard Rypp is a co production with the Haif a Theatre

“The First Kiss” based upon the book by Yoram TarLev Adapted and Directed by Yaara  Nahor Reshef won 4 prizes at the Haifa International Theatre Festival including: Best Production for Youth & Best Director

"My Grandfather The General" By and Starring Nir Strauss, Directed by Eliran Caspi, won The Best Actor the Haifa International Theatre Festival

Regarding the Bird  won 2 ASSITEJ National prizes for excellence:Best Actor- Shlomi Bertonov and "Best Play- Nitzan Cohen.

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We will be co-producing with Mofa Theatre a story by Etgar Keret at the Haifa International Childrens Theatre Festival this April 2015

This May we will be producing the Israeli premiere of the Canadian play "Tagged" by Dave Deveau directed by Noam Shmuel

In 2015 the Nephesh Theatre Touring Repertoire will continue travelling throughout the world.
Gimpel the Fool will represent Israel at the Montreal International Fringe Festival
and at the  Internaional Jewish Cultural Festival in New York
NEIGHBORS  will  tour throughout India -Chennai, Mumbai, Dehli, Bengalaru
It Sounds Better in Amharic  will present at an  International Festival in Berlin
NEIGHBORS will be at an International Festival in Taipan, Taiwan
 

Our new production "Regarding the Bird" starring Shlomi Bertonov, written and directed by Nitzan Cohen will premiere at the TeatroNeto Festival of one man plays April 2014.

Gabriel Emanuel's "Mr. Begin" starring Dani Steg will be presented in the presence of Prime Minister Netanyahu at the Knesset on March 10th 2014. 

In August 2013 "Gimpel the Fool" and "Neighbors" represented Israel at the Edmonton Fringe Festival - the Largest Fringe Festival in North America.

Edmonton Journal Review of "Gimpel the Fool"

Edmonton Journal Review of "Neighbors"

In May 2013 "Neighbors" presented 18 performances throughout San Salvadore and Guatamala.

La Prensa Grafica Review of "Neighbors"

El Salvador Review of "Neighbors" 

In April 2013 "Gimpel the Fool" won the Grand Prize at the Bitola International MonoDrama Festival in Macedonia.

Macedonia Press Review of "Gimpel the Fool"

Jewish Theatre Review of "Gimpel the Fool"