The Beersheba Theater (תיאטרון באר שבע) is a

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

Beersheba Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

History

The Beersheba Theater was established by actresses

Naomi Blumenthal Naomi Blumenthal ( he, נעמי בלומנטל, born 22 November 1943) is a former Israeli politician. First elected to the Knesset in 1992, her political career was ended by a conviction for corruption in 2006. Biography Born in Bitzaron duri ...

and Margalit Stander during Eliyahu Nawi's tenure as mayor of Beersheba. The actresses created the theater with the help of Bentz Carmel, who then served as Beersheva's deputy mayor and the councilmember responsible for cultural affairs. In 1973, after the theater had produced two plays, Geri Bilu was appointed as the organization's director. Bilu served as the theater's artistic and administrative director for eight years, working to transform it into a professional

repertoire A repertoire () is a list or set of dramas, operas, musical compositions or roles which a company or person is prepared to perform. Musicians often have a musical repertoire. The first known use of the word ''repertoire'' was in 1847. It is a l ...

theater. The theater faced numerous difficulties in its early years, struggling to attract actors and patrons. Its first performers included Naomi Blumenthal, Eti Shiloni, Debla Reizer, Sasi Saad, Shulik Shilo, Yosi Kantz, Hogo Yarden, Michael Ronen, Rafi Tavor, Margalit Stander, Irit Shilo, Ilana Yinovski, Ora Bar-Or and Robert Hanig, who were later joined by Doron Tavori. The theater's first director was Dr. Dan Ronen. The theater continued to encounter difficulties after its launch, facing budgetary constraints and lacking an appropriate space for performances. Actors and directors rarely made appearances at the theater due to its physical remoteness from the center of the country. Despite these challenges, the theater gradually formed a group of performers, including notable actors Sharon Alexander, Hana Azulay Hasafri, Hagit Desberg, and Yoram Hatav. The theater also attracted accomplished directors such as

Edna Shavit Edna Shavit ( he, עדנה שביט; April 25, 1935 – 14 June 2015) was an Israelis, Israeli professor affiliated with the theater department of Tel Aviv University. She was married to Yoram Gal between 1994 and 2003. In the 1960s, Shavit pla ...

, Tom Levi, Dan Ronen, and Theodore Toma.
Over the years, a number of the theater's plays were conducted at Beit HaAm, which currently houses the Goodman Acting School. As the theater's repertoire grew, some of its plays were performed at the

Culture Center of Beersheba 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 ...

. In 2008, the theater moved to the Performing Arts Center of Beersheba, where the

Beersheba Symphony Orchestra Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...

performs, and where many conventions and events are held. Rafi Niv currently serves as the artistic director.

Activity

Each season, the Beersheba Theater features five to seven original and classical

plays Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

. The theater produces repertoire plays, performances of other theaters as well as independent actors, and children's plays. Many of the plays are featured at other theaters across the country. Roughly 30 actors and 70 other workers are employed by the theater. The theater also conducts classes, workshops and educational programs for special-needs communities. The purpose of these activities is to strengthen groups and individuals through theatrical involvement.

CEOs of the theater

*Zipi Pines – 1981–1993 *Gadi Rol – 1993–1996 *Razi Amitay – 1996–2004 *Natan Datner – 2004–2009 *Shmulik Yifrah – 2009 - current

Repertoire

References

External links