Acclaimed British playwright Hare to visit Israel
Dramatist Sir David Hare, London National Theatre’s artistic director Nicholas Hytner to arrive in Israel and meet with Israeli director Hillel Ilan, Habima’s artistic director Ilan Ronen on future cooperation
Hare, who is amongst the greatest British dramatists and one of the central political voices in modern international playwriting, is due to arrive in Israel with Nicholas Hytner - artistic director of London’s National Theatre, as guests of the British Council in Israel.
As part of their informal visit, the two will meet with Israeli playwright Hillel Mittelpunkt and the Habima Theater’s artistic director Ilan Ronen. This meeting will most likely spark the start of discussions on joint theatrical projects.
The discussion between the two theaters already started three years ago with the entrance of the Israeli National Theater into the Union of the Theatres of Europe.
The dialogue progressed and became concrete at the beginning of the year with the successful cooperation between the two institutions on a political drama festival which took place simultaneously in Israel and in Britain.
Sir David Hare returns to Israel (Getty Images)
Despite the fact that all sides have emphasized that this is just the initial stage and that they are merely assessing the options, the connection between the national theaters and between the two playwrights who share the same social and political agenda is a high-profile event.
Julia Smith, assistant director of the British Council in Israel told Ynet that “this visit is the outcome of the first collaboration of this sort between Habima and the British National Theatre this year, which was sponsored by the Council.
“We are very happy that this cooperation is bearing fruit and continuing with Nicholas Hytner and David Hare’s visit. We will be even happier if this meeting bears fruit in the future as well,” said Smith.
This is not the first time Sir David Hare has visited Israel. His last visit took place in 2001 for the Israeli premiere of “Via Dolorosa,” a monodrama describing the accounts of his one-week visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority four years earlier.
This personal and penetrating monologue was originally performed by Hare himself. Cameri actor Ohad Shahar has filled Hare’s shoes in the Israeli depiction.
Hare’s first play, “Slag” was directed and performed in 1970, the year in which he was appointed as resident dramatist of London’s Royal Court Theatre.
In 1975 Hare co-founded the Joint Stock Company with David Aukin and Max Stafford-Clark. Three years later he presented his play “Plenty” at the National Theatre.
In 1984, Hare was appointed as a partner of the National Theatre which presented such plays as, “Racing Demon,” “Murmuring Judges” and “The Absence of War.”
Throughout his years at the National Theatre, Hare also directed a number of plays, including Shakespeare’s “King Lear.”
