Gesher Theatre's International Scene and Jaffa Fest 2025

Culture at its best: Gesher Theatre concludes a particularly fruitful year on the international scene. Despite the war, boycott attempts, and growing antisemitism in the world, the theatre's travel map this year was larger than ever: six repertoire plays in three languages (Hebrew, English, and Russian) received international recognition, critical acclaim, and an enthusiastic reception from audiences in 17 cities across three continents.

The play "Salome" (directed by: Maxim Didenko) played for two weeks at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London. This is the first time an Israeli theatre has performed on a West End stage and received rave reviews in The Times, Broadway World, and other British media outlets.

The play "Richard III" (directed by: Itai Tiran) participated in the prestigious Wiener Festwochen festival in Vienna and the Tbilisi International Theatre Festival.

The play "Cyrano" (directed by: Rimas Tuminas) played in Budapest, Vilnius, and Riga and received much praise.

The productions "Don't Look Back" and "Awake and Sing!" participated in the Cherry Orchard Festival in Canada and the USA.

In 2026, Gesher Theatre will continue its travels around the world: "Anna Karenina" will play in Baku, "Richard III" in Paris, and "Awake and Sing!" will arrive in Tallinn, Riga, Helsinki, and Amsterdam.

Jaffa Fest 2025

The Jaffa Fest International Theatre Festival, which takes place annually at the initiative of Gesher Theatre, with the support and cooperation of the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality and the Ministry of Culture and Sport, will take place this year in the fall, rather than in the summer months. There is no need to explain the reason for the postponement this year to the citizens of the State of Israel. The difficult period we have experienced, which separated and united, surprised and hurt at the same time, gave birth to the central theme of the year – She-Stage. The main heroine of this year's festival is a woman: the female gaze and voice in theatre, directing, dramaturgy, literature, and life.

Festival Program:

Plays:

The festival will open with a special project – "Eugene Onegin" (conductor: Dan Ettinger, director: Regina Alexandrovsky) - a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Gesher Theatre, the Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon LeZion, and opera singers. The two works – the play "Eugene Onegin. Footnotes" directed by Alvis Hermanis based on Pushkin, and the opera by Tchaikovsky – will become an exceptional event in which actors, singers, and musicians will appear together on one stage.

As part of the festival, the play "Mother Courage and Her Children" by Bertolt Brecht, translated by Anat Gov, directed by Sapir Heller and starring Yevgenia Dodina, will premiere. Heller, an Israeli-born director who works in leading theatres in Germany (Frankfurt, Stuttgart, Munich, Berlin, etc.), will direct for the first time in Israel in a repertory theatre.

The audience will have the opportunity to see the new play based on the play by Ivan Vyrypaev, one of the most well-known playwrights in Europe whose plays have been translated into more than 30 languages and staged on many stages around the world. "The Highest Trees on Earth" (directed by: Nikola Mishin) - this is an attempt at the first collaboration between the actors Chulpan Khamatova, Maria Mashkova and Vasily Zorkiy.

The play "Don Q" (directed by: Anna Viktorova) - a miniature theatre adaptation of the classic work by Cervantes – a poetic journey about dreams, heroism, and standing up to a harsh reality.

Staged Readings:

In a staged reading performed by Alisa Khazanova, the work "Focus" by the writer Maria Stepanova will be presented, focusing on forced migration against the background of the war between Russia and Ukraine. The first reading of "Focus" took place this year in London at Pushkin House.

The director and playwright Marina Davydova, a prominent figure in the European theatre world, will present the play "Land of No Return", which describes the ethnic conflict between Armenians and Azerbaijanis during the collapse of the Soviet Union. Featuring: Yevgenia Dodina, Anatoly Bely, Natasha Manor, Polina Pakhomov, Henry David, Nikita Goldman, Andrei Kashkar. After the performance there will be a conversation with the creator.

The Musical Program:

Theatrical-musical-poetic performance Fire Granny, created especially for the festival, combines contemporary electronic sound with ancient harmonies and texts by Daniil Kharms.

The actress and creator Efrat Ben-Tzur will perform as part of the festival with her new album "Ayla".

Lena Kreindlin, CEO of Gesher Theatre and Jaffa Fest: "We will be happy to see you at the Jaffa Fest International Theatre Festival. Every year, Jaffa becomes a meeting place for theatres, cultures, languages, and especially – of people, of audiences. This year we are opening a special chapter in the festival – She-Stage. We wanted to create a space where stories don't declare, but share, don't preach but invite to dialogue. Stories born from personal experience, from observation and from a female worldview. Jaffa is a meeting place of cultures and traditions, and here the slogan Existing Together is more relevant than ever. We hope that She-Stage will become a symbol of openness, listening, and mutual respect."

More details about the festival on the website: https://www.jaffafest.com

Photo = Gesher Theatre's international scene. Photo courtesy of Gesher Theatre