The 33rd Theatronto Festival closed yesterday (Thursday) at the Jaffa Theater. The festival, which was founded by the late Yaakov Agmon, and since his death has been managed by the actress Gila Almagor-Agmon, took place in Acre and Old Jaffa in front of full halls. Some of the plays referred to the spirit of the time and the war.
This year the festival presented 6 New monodramas as part of the competition, and another 8 short plays (up to 15 minutes) as part of the “Caceranto” track initiated by Nir Strauss. One of the short plays is “Shabbat Bekur” by Michal Aharoni and performed by Shlomo Baraba.
This year, for the first time, the festival also included a new format called “Cacerceranto”, which included a group of short performances of up to 5 minutes.
Wild childhood, acting in a musical and career as a broadcaster
The theater prize named after the late Nissim Azikri, in the amount of 9,000 shekels, was awarded to the play “Math Shirah Imber” by Yoav Ginai, directed by Alon Ofir and performed by Merav Grover.
The show takes place on the last day of the life of the legendary radio broadcaster, and returns through her last broadcast to the stations of her life – From her wild childhood in Tel Aviv in 1950, through her military service as a justice warrior soldier, from there to the California of the “Sixties”, where she joined the Flower Children and demonstrated against the Vietnam War. Later, when she played in the Israeli version of the musical “Hair” and until her days as a news announcer and music presenter, who never hesitated to speak her firm opinion live, even when she knew she would be punished.
The show “Tell me what I want”. Audience Choice Award (Photo: Oron Kaplon)
From the judges’ reasoning:Yoav Ginai, the writer, and Alon Ofir, the director, created a colorful, rich and exciting platform for Merav Grover, which has fluctuations, upheavals, humor, and also a lot of pain. Imber’s story provokes a discussion of the tension between the institutional consensus and the realization of individual freedom as Imber practiced in her life and in her death. Mirav Grover is fascinating, overwhelming and exciting, as she easily jumps between characters, eras and states of mind. Merav is protection – and for moments it seems that protection is Merav. If the Theatronto Festival is by definition intended to put the actor at the center of the theatrical experience, Merav Gruber creates such an experience, and for that reason we found her worthy of the Theatronto Award for 2024.”
The award was given by the Tel Aviv Foundation for the Arts and the Matan Project, as grants intended to promote the creative activity of the stage artists noted by the judges. These grants are another link in the foundation’s activity to encourage Israeli art and its creators.
A prize for the play that won a commendation, also courtesy of the Tel Aviv Foundation for Literature in the amount of NIS 3,000, was awarded to the play “Heiress” by and directed by Yael Grof, and performed by Yael Sadan. The play tells the creator’s personal story as a child, a teenager and a woman, living with the legacy of trauma she received from her father, a captive From the Galilee Peace War.
“Yel Sadan dived into her character with great dedication and credibility and was able to move between pain and hope with talent, and for that she deserves to be commended,” wrote the judges.
“His intense and precise presence manages to touch and move”
The first prize in the “Kasaranto” track in the amount of NIS 3,000, also courtesy of the Tel Aviv Foundation for Literature and Art, was awarded to the play “Line 164” by and performed by Itamar Moalem, Directed by Noam Frank (original music: Nir Canaan).
The judges wrote about her in their reasons: “The internal dialogue, which is constantly present in every person who is used to riding the bus, turns through the work of Itamar Moalem and Noam Frank, into a sharp political discussion about the way we choose to act in a world of identity politics. Itamar fills the stage with his intense and precise presence and manages to touch, move and laugh through a direct dialogue with the audience.”
In the audience’s choice award named after Tarin Shallaf (winner of the Young Actress Award at Theatronto for 2019) in the amount of NIS 5000, awarded by her family members, two plays won the same number of votes – The play “Tell me what comes to me” by and performed by Nimrod Peleg, directed by Yuval Koren, and the play Man-Up By Lee Masika and Ofer Greenberg performed by Ofer Greenberg.
The audience’s choice award in the caceranto track in the amount of 1,500 shekels, given by the theater, was won by two plays that received the same number of votes – “As a mother for three sons” by and performed by Ornet Lampert, and “Aba of my children” performed by Adi Drori, by Orli Essis.
The judges in Katsaranto: Natalie Zuckerman, Michael Teplitsky and Yoav Barthel. The judges for the full-length shows: Ilanit Swayisa, Roni Thorn and Yael Vakstein.
Gila Almagor-Agmon, and the creators and actors Daniel Cohen-Levi, Shimon Mimran and Yigal Ezrati are on the artistic committee of the theater. Festival producer: Galit Barsky. The festival is held in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, the Department of Festivals, the Municipality of Tel Aviv-Jaffa (through the “Old Jaffa Sites” company) and the Municipality of Acre.
#winner #33rd #Theatronto #festival #play #Mihara #Imber
2024-04-26 01:16:51
