For several days, the stone alleys and historic spaces of Acre’s Old City became more than a backdrop for tourists exploring one of Israel’s best-known ancient cities. They became a stage.
Tens of thousands of visitors came to the The Israel Fringe Theater Festival in Acre, where hundreds of Israeli and international artists filled the Old City with street theater, circus acts, dance, acrobatics, music and interactive installations.
Gallery
A newer attraction is also attempting to make the city’s past more immersive
(Photo: Tamir Assraf)
Among the more eye-catching performances was “Mermaid,” in which an acrobatic contortionist performed inside a giant bowl of water, twisting and balancing both above and below the surface. Large-scale fire shows and other outdoor performances added to a festival designed increasingly to spill beyond conventional theater spaces and into the city itself.
That setting is a large part of what distinguishes the Acre festival. Contemporary performers work amid Crusader-era halls, Ottoman buildings, narrow stone passageways and the Mediterranean waterfront, placing experimental art in surroundings shaped by centuries of history.
This year’s program included original fringe productions from the Acre Theatre Center alongside visiting performers and works created for public spaces, allowing people to encounter performances as they moved through the Old City rather than only inside traditional venues.
The festival also offered another way of experiencing a city usually marketed primarily through its history.
Over the past decade, Israel’s Ministry of Tourism has invested hundreds of millions of shekels in Acre’s Old City, including in the Knights’ Halls and harbor, as part of efforts to improve tourism infrastructure and the visitor experience.
The ministry brought international journalists to the festival this year as part of a press tour showcasing Acre not only as a heritage destination but also as a center for contemporary culture.
This year’s program included original fringe productions from the Acre Theatre Center alongside visiting performers and works created for public spaces
(Photo: Tamir Assraf)
A newer attraction is also attempting to make the city’s past more immersive. An audiovisual presentation at the Crusader Citadel, launched in recent months by the Tourism Ministry and the Old Akko and Nazareth Development Company, uses video mapping, animation, lighting and original music to bring different periods of Acre’s history to life.
It joins a dense collection of attractions within the Old City, including the Knights’ Halls, Templars’ Tunnel, Turkish Bath, Ramchal Synagogue and Acre Jewish Heritage Center, as well as the Old Port and market.
For city officials, however, the festival is not simply another attraction on that list. Acre Mayor Ohad Shagav said the municipality hopes to continue expanding the event and its mix of local, Israeli and international productions.
“The outdoor events, held under the open sky in the heart of the city, create a unique cultural experience that brings together the old and the new, history and groundbreaking art,” Shagav said.
It is a combination particularly suited to Acre: experimental performances appearing unexpectedly among buildings and streets that have stood for centuries.
The Israel Fringe Theater Festival in Acre was produced by the Municipality of Acre in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture.