The Arab-Hebrew Theater or Al Saraya Theater is a multilingual

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...

located in the Old Saraya House in the Old City of

Jaffa Jaffa, in Hebrew Yafo ( he, יָפוֹ, ) and in Arabic Yafa ( ar, يَافَا) and also called Japho or Joppa, the southern and oldest part of Tel Aviv-Yafo, is an ancient port city in Israel. Jaffa is known for its association with the b ...

. It serves as a stage for two theater companies working independently and together in two languages:

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

and

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

. The Hebrew company is "Teatron Mekomi (Local Theater)", which was established in 1990 by Yigal Ezrati and Gabi Eldor, and the

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

company is "Al-Saraya", which was established in 1998. The theater is partially funded by the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: *Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) *Ministry of Culture (Argentina) *Minister for the Arts (Australia) *Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan) * Ministry of ...

and the

Tel Aviv Municipality Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality ( he, עיריית תל אביב-יפו) is the arm of local government responsible for the administration of the Israeli city of Tel Aviv-Yafo. Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality handles such municipal affairs as education, cu ...

. The theater has three arts directors:

Mohammad Bakri Mohammad Bakri (born 1953; ar, محمد بكري, he, מוחמד בכרי) is a Palestinian actor and film director.cultures Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups.Tyl ...

together under the same roof through theater. The building was given to the two companies by the Tel Aviv Municipality. It underwent significant renovations due to the building's advanced age, as well as its need for preservation and remodeling to suit a theater. The arts director of the Arab company is Adib Jahshan. Both companies conduct plays in Hebrew and Arabic together and independently. The theater provides opportunities for both groups to express their ethnic differences artistically on the same stage. From time to time, the two come together in order to discuss certain topics, but each company is self-managed. The theater is funded by the Tel Aviv Municipality and the Ministry of Culture, thanks to the belief that a unique theater that integrates ethnicities and communities is meaningful and important despite any financial difficulties.

Productions

Unity of opposites

The theater is known to be self-contradicting in several respects, for example, in its new and old ways of processing texts, its Arab and

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

identities, its young and old actors, and its fusion between fringe, modern and traditional theater (e.g.

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

). The theater has hosted several shows and events, including the international poetry festival Sha'ar, produced by the Helicon Foundation. From 2004 until 2008 Hanoch Levin's play, ''You, Me, and the Next War'', featured pianist

Bart Berman Bart Berman ( he, ברט ברמן; born 29 December 1938) is a Dutch-Israeli pianist and composer, best known as an interpreter of Franz Schubert and 20th-century music. Career Bart Berman studied piano with Jaap Spaanderman at a predecessor ...

, along with the original crew that performed in the production's 1968 premier.

Political censorship

When the film ''

Farha Farha or Farhah (Arabic: فَرْحَة, ''farḥah'') is an Arabic female given name and a surname, meaning "delight, pleasure, luckier, good luck, good fortune". The name is the female form of the name Farhat and also stems from the name Farah. ...

'' directed by Jordanian filmmaker

Darin Sallam Darin J. Sallam (born 1987) is a Jordanian film director and writer of Palestinian roots. She has five award-winning short films to her name, including ''Still Alive'', ''The Dark Outside'' and “The Parrot”. ''Farha'' (2021) is her debut nar ...

was released, Al Saraya Theater scheduled screenings. In response,

Avigdor Lieberman Avigdor Lieberman (, ; russian: Эве́т Льво́вич Ли́берман, Evet Lvovich Liberman, ; born 5 June 1958) is a Soviet-born Israeli politician serving as Minister of Finance since 2021, having previously served twice as Deputy ...

, the Israeli Finance Minister, ordered the treasury to withdraw government funding from the theater.

References

External links

The Arab-Hebrew Theater's Website"No Complaints" - article in Hebrew on Mouse Website
{{authority control Arab Israeli culture in Tel Aviv Jewish theatres Jews and Judaism in Tel Aviv Theatre companies in Israel Theatres in Jaffa