Nephesh Theatre from Tel Aviv leaves this April on a coast to coast tour of North America with its production of "One of a Kind" which will include a two week engagement at Broaway's prestigious New Victory Theatre:
"One of a Kind" is an award winning play by Yossi Vassa and Shai Ben Attar .This production which comprises one of the only African theatre ensembles in the world, has become the most acclaimed Ethiopian ensemble in Israel. It has become a major cultural institution In Israel, and a leader among the very few authentic manifestations of Ethiopian-Jewish culture world-wide.
The play depicts the modern day story of a 700 kilometer journey
by foot of Ethiopian Jews between 1982-1986, from Ethiopian villages
to Sudanese refugee camps, and finally the arrival to their new
homeland in Israel- being the first Black Jews to inhabit the
country. The story follows a family who hears rumors of the secret
operation to walk by foot from their village, to Jerusalem in
Israel. Through this family’s physical and spiritual journey to
Jerusalem, we experience their struggle for identity, their dreams,
and the incredible sacrifice made to achieve them.
"One of a
Kind-And Argay" is a story of Diaspora yet simultaneously both an
African and Israeli tale- telling of community, journey, and the
rebuilding of a home in a new land. It touches the hearts of
children and adults alike and reminds us, no matter who we are, or
where we come from- the importance of family, home, faith, and
dedication.
This current production of "One of a Kind-And
Argay" is a natural continuation of the successful collaboration of
the creators with their previous production "It
Sounds Better in Amharic" which has been presented 800
times in Hebrew and 150 times in English.This June it will als tour
the United States and Mexico.
The
Nephesh Theatre presents over 300 performances a year
in Israel and tours throughout North America and Europe, presenting
close to 100 performances annually abroad. Its current repertory
comprises 12 plays in Hebrew that explore Jewish themes and social
issues, which aim to simultaneously entertain and educate. It also
offers a repertory of 6 plays in English, which either have been
translated from the Hebrew repertory or have been developed
especially to explore relevant issues that Israel shares with the
Diaspora.This past year their production of "Einstein"
was seen off-Broadway at La Mama and "Gimpel the
Fool" had a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
and most recently in
London.
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"One
of a Kind"
A Play for the entire family
By Yossi
Vassa and Shai Ben Attar
Translated by Howard Rypp
Directed
by Shai Ben Attar
Music by Idan Zilbershtein
Set Design by Alexsander Sasha
Lesansky
Choreography by Iddi Saaka
Animation by Adi Katz
Costumes by Sky Gete
Lighting by Meir Alon
Sound
Technician-Oded Weinstock
Lighting Technician-Liad Malone
Dialect Coaches-Pnina Joy Isseroff and Linda Lovitch
Cast:Tehitina Assefa, Mahareta Baruch, Shai Fredo, Benny
Gatahon, Sky Gette, Yossi Vassa and Roy Zaddok
In Israel "One of a Kind" will be presented on April 17th prior
to tour Oklahoma, Seattle, Detroit and
Toronto.
Contact
Nephesh Theatre
e-mail : nephesh@zahav.net.il
Web: http://www.nepheshtheatre.co.il/
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