Sense 2: the gift of language, acoustically speaking

This morning I went to see P at her beautiful pied a terre in Neve Tzedek. A play of hers Forbidden has been translated to Hebrew and we briefly mulled over its options in Tel Aviv and as a provisional educational production in London. A rehearsed reading at the Hampstead Theatre in 2008 was directed by Yael Ronen's brother and the play deals with a fictionalised version of a real lesbian relationship between a Jewish girl and wife of a Nazi officer in Berlin during the Second World War.

As 2 British-born women of very different ages, Jewish identities and arts/non-arts backgrounds but with special long-term relationships with Israel, our talk soon turned to language. P lived in Jerusalem for 3 years in her early twenties where she intermittently learnt Hebrew (she is now fluent) and worked in the language before returning to England and working extensively in radio and journalism before writing her first play around 10 years ago..."I was supposed to go back to England briefly and return here but it never happened - be careful of that." We spoke of the beauty of translation from English to Hebrew and vice versa. As a kid I really wanted to be a translator between English, French and Spanish. On the rare occasions I chose to do my homework properly I would play around for hours with the words and dream about changing the face Le Petit Prince and Poeta En Nueva York through my radical linguistic reinterpretations. On the one hand I just look back and laugh but then now, even watching plays in Ivrit, my level of which is well below pidgen, I find myself translating the words and guessed phrases to English and sometimes even French...mixing and mistaking with no impact and no consequence whatsoever. If only I applied the same amount of concerted effort to learning my Ivrit verb endings.


It comes up again and again, the crime of kids no longer having to learn a language at GCSE in England. Oh yes it is so demeaning to those who are not good at languages. Yeah well what about if you are shit at maths. Anyway, I do think languages give an added dimension, awareness of other cultures etc but it is not just that. There is something about people who are into languages, those who speak more than one fluently or at least quite well. Because to do so post-childhood without living in a country where you just have to requires a certain amount of effort and engagement with something beyond your immediate world. Learning a second language as a kid, even just a bit, plants something that might just grow depending on later formative years...even if those just include a sight, sound or song that rouses the curiosity of brain and tongue.

Liron chose the perfect cake to welcome Nico home, Rachel to the Karov and me to full-time-Karov-less life. In the shape of a heart with hardcore "tahana" frosting it merged a treat with our champagne and usual chaotic multilingual talk of work, play, plays and workshops and countries and more. Nico speaks English well when he gets a little more into talking at length. It was a treat to see him back at the Karov with everyone else around - Liron, Linor, Dorit, Hadar and of course Rachel who seems more engaged every day with her love for the theatre.

At 5.30 Er. and R took me to the special tobacco shop as promised. What a place!! You can try the tobacco as you'd try wine and there's all sorts of exciting flavours including rose and caramel, both of which I sampled before choosing the latter. ER brought the dogs and in spite of myself I actually felt quite bonded. Particularly struck by R's sense with Bamba, the 3-year-old and knowledge of how to discipline and respect but without that sickening sentimental vibe you get with a lot of dog owners. The other one, Mitzi, is old - 15 - and going blind. Often she is slow slow slow whilst B of course rushes ahead, not long out of puppyhood. We had a fast/slow walk back to Florentin, talking about football and its universality - the beyond-language it's become for nations the world over. R told me how Hitler was well into football because it gives countries the chance to assert and prove their superiority. My immediate thought was of the tactic-based nature of football and its relation to the Final Solution. I said so and R related it to the coolly strategic way in which the German team plays and how all the other world teams play, each with their own culture-based trends all of which work on some level. So much depends on your opponent, I suppose.

I had my first Icity coffee, sitting with ER and the kelevot on the corner of Florentin and something. How does our parents' relationship with language affect us? R wants to learn French. His roots are Russian and it is his first language. I had no idea of the linguistic and cultural influence of France on St Petersburg. R wants to learn French, Spanish and German...enough to get by, fluency not necessary. With architecture, its grandioseness in Russia next to sheer poverty and likewise in Paris/London/all major cities etc we got to thinking about Tel Aviv and its major differences in that sense. Language and a constant sense of communication bring about proximity, again not in terms of the sentimental but rather the unavoidable. You see people constantly you know in the street. A citizen featuring in a national news story is connected intimately to at least someone you know knows. It was through such a connection I discovered E's childhood fascination with Sara Ahranson and her family's story..."At the age of 6 I loved it so much I used to read that great big book with my parents and go always to the museum. You don't know what a sense of nostalgia this has reawakened...". My mum once told me one of the saddest moments of her life was seeing a tiny child pass a bookshop with his mother and start to bang on the window saying "Books! Books!" and the mother's reply, "Don't be silly, they're only books. Time to go home." R's father and grandfather both ran classes for the deaf, just like my mum used to teach literature to blind students. Had that kind of interest not been the case, and E's parents been weirded out by their little girl asking again and again to read and explore the Ahranson legacy, I wonder how we'd be different.

Would I be uselessly transposing sentences I can barely string together into languages I barely know?

Would E continue altering dynamics in theatres and dimensions in photographs?

And would R know in a matter of seconds the acoustics of a room by visible materials or a couple of hand claps?

Who knows. Who cares. And language and sound we can separate into worlds of signs, musical notes and vibrations...do you know of the deaf man who created an entire system through clicking his tongue in different ways and sensing the materials around him by how they responded? But we need to be aware of stuff like that at least, just be aware.

Sense 1: Momentous manipulation...should it be momentary?

As I leave my full-time work at the Karov and instead focus on the different ways to get it abroad as a part of my, Nico, Dorit's and the other Karovians' Israel, there are other things to relate. They link to much of my learning here and to record them with a sense of consideration because others might read will also be helpful to me as I use this archive throughout my life and work.

My first week-long blog project is about the senses...sight, sound, touch, taste and smell.

Like always, it is amazing for me to hear anything that my writing or its components may spark in you so do consider sharing if you ever want.

On Thursday evening we went to see Not By Bread Alone at the Nalagat ('please do touch') Centre - a theatre and restaurant geared towards the work and productivity of deaf and/or blind actors. This show is famous now and will be at the Arts Depot in London, hopefully featuring also at the LIFT Festival. During the show 12 actors - some of them completely without sight or hearing, others with varying but generally low degrees of one or the other, make bread and relate their lives, dreams and observations (sorry) with immense creativity, aided by a special touch language 6 interpreters impart to them over the hour.

Afterwards C and I ate at the wonderful little Cafe Yafo up the road, forgoing the 30shekel live jazz an hour later to continue our talk as we walked back to Tel Aviv along the tayelet.

One thing I have been constantly intrigued and at times frustrated by over the past 5 months is the obsession with taking photos. Photos photos photo opportunity come on photo posing photo oh my god oh my god oh my god All The Fing Time. A told me her friend actually forgo swimming with dolphins in Eilat because nobody would be there with her to take pictures. wtf. And within this crazy scene I am increasingly aware of my own attitude to being in pictures. In the final leadership seminar one leader was taking individual pictures of us as we explained a project and I found myself, completely unintentionally, asking her not to photograph me. Put me on my trampoline, a swing, a stage of any kind and take whatever. But it's not that I just like not knowing when exactly someone's clicking. Sometimes it's fine...when there is no pressure, I suppose, to pose. I can't pose really. I just can't. Unless.....

Unless the moment is manipulating me...there's a stimulus. Being photographed is often aligned with the subject manipulating the moment, turning nothing into an inanimate animation - making a piece of film or a screened image amazing. At the top is a photo by D and at the bottom one created by A (although she is in it) and in both I found the situations (one I was aware the picture was being taken, the other one no) so sexy sexy sexy being photographed was great.

Stepping out of self-focus zzzz for a second, I love the pictures some of my photographer friends take...I mean those which are considered so highly, so thoughtfully, with the immense vision and angle in every sense of the word that a true photographer possesses. There are 2 people who really come to mind and to have an example of what I mean read the introduction on JP's wedding photography website. The other, R from my program, reflects the light of her presence, depth of emotional perception and extraordinary engagement with the bigness and smallness of the world in every moment she captures.

We will call her Erika, my favourite photographer personally known to me. She knows my "issues" with being photographed though we never had really the need to speak about them...I just knew she knew from her gentleness with me on one such occasion. She turns down some paid photographic work that doesn't incorporate the kind of thing or vibe she wants to picture...not out of snobbery or even real an idealism...it just doesn't come naturally. The way she talks about her art projects and those of her brother has taught me so much in its unknown humility and honesty. I won't write too much for discretion but Erika, if you are reading this, know how you touched me.

In a nutshell, when I have a conversation with people about this subject I dwell on my fear of camera-brandishers missing out on the moment itself because they are so keen to capture it on film. I really think a lot of the time they do. And it's an age-old cliche I know, the best photographs being imprinted on your memory. But even if you don't remember, does it matter? On the way back from Nalagat, C and I sat for a good while on the rocks overlooking the sea and talked at length. We came back to the moment itself and how we would cherish and remember it. The power of the sea, the sun, of how whether we call it G-d or science or struggle to define a greater creator or force it's to some extent immaterial. We spoke of personal impact, the definition of ambition and success. I said to C how she has effect already through her writing, through her conversations. Any subsequent development of her work, professional or otherwise, will carry on the success but on many levels she has already succeeded. As far as I am concerned anyway. :-) Moments and minutes count every day, whether we are waking, sleeping or dreaming. And isn't photography a wonderful thing to explore and extend those experiences for those with the gift of sight?

Penultimate day and one or two views in point

Today I will graduate from Oranim 31.

I will stay in Tel Aviv until 21 July...one more month. The last month and a half have been so hectic and deeply rewarding. Things are slow whilst they move so fast in the lesser-known dark side of Israeli fringe theatre. There is a snobbishness to penetrate which rather than leaving you dogged refreshes the power and enforces the faith of those who believe and want shows to keep on happening in the Tahana Merkazit.

The last fortnight has been focused on the "big" (for me, for us) application to British Israeli Arts for She London. So much time and thought yet not enough not enough not enough. Who thought I could care about anything so much and articulate it? The vision is to work with 5 British-based and 3-Israel-based performers in a She event in North London, focusing on furthering both professionals' knowledge, creative thought and overall peripheral awareness on a collaborative British-Israeli platform. Dorit and I would work together to shape the space, the performers' group masterclasses and individual processes, and coordinate a one-off performance in March to commemorate the centenary of International Women's Day. Oh G-d I really really really really really really hope we get it.

Dad came back to Israel for a week...the poor thing was so exhausted and poorly with a chest infection from working so hard and round-the-clock with so many people in so many places. Through our conversations I learn so much every time. I am more open to learning from others here, even those I have known all my life. We saw at the Karov together Hotel Europe and Alef Alef: A Silent Woman - a previously unknown and favourite for me respectively. To watch show in Ivrit now is amazing. I can still understand maybe just 20% but to be familiar with the tone, text and purpose of the plays makes every viewing exciting in its own way.

As the Karov's new intern Rachel embarks on her 5-month journey here and we look for new opportunities internationally, I am reminded of how new the concept of site-specific, barely-budgeted fringe is in Israel. When I talk to other theatre professionals here about my work for Nico, collaborations with Dorit and the general purpose of the Karov, they often look down on it, don't understand it, don't engage. But slowly, slowly, slowly, with much time, energy and effort we will continue the change. The UK, USA, Europe and their various perspectives and developments are essential to help this little corner of Israel where theatre is concerned. July will be focused for me on making those relevant links.

Please continue following my journey here. If there is any way you can help at all, even just through your comments, suggestions and especially shared experiences of the Karov, I always want to hear from you.

With love.

Until tomorrow x

no power, power and magic moments

When I got to the Karov today I was first and realised I could feel my way round to the lights nearly as well as in the New End which was weird and nice.

I feel a bit weird and poorly so I will go home soon. I think it is mostly nostalgia because I watched 'Sex In The City' the first movie last night and it made me really really miss my clothes, especially the pink shoes. You can read more about my materialistic moral obsessions on the After A Fashion blog. The height of my feelings is such, however, that I momentarily had to mix the two worlds.

Building the profile of the Karov beyond Israel, or getting beyond Israel into the Karov proves daily to be less and less of a mean feat and today I am exhausted. I know what to do and how to use my brain but the two are just not in tune ha yom and I don't have the koach even for Ulpan. Also, as I was leaving the house today a cockroach fell on my head.

HOWEVER. ON THE PLUS SIDE.

This Saturday we have How To Teach Communism To The Mentally Ill which I can't wait to show to Ruthie when she comes. I can't wait to show you the Karov full-stop, darling. Also, I was telling Dorit all about the things Ruthie and I have done together and we want really to build part of She London around a unique non-Jewish perspective she could bring. If you're in Israel and read this, you can come to see Communism for the special rockabilly rate of 20NIS this Saturday only. I am doing the synopses, Karov backgrounds and refreshments (sort of) in English for non-Ivrit speakers so let me know ahead of time.

Nearly time to start the application for The Fall for Melbourne. We're also looking to Russian-Israeli embassies et al to raise the money to go to Grigory's festival. Nico seems up for the adventure and Albert said he would stay in a tent. All this pleased me.

I have lots of different favourite types of moments at the Karov but one that is very strong in my mind now is the type with Dorit when her energy and genuineness show me a new type of humility I never saw before in my life. Yesterday we were talking about something to do with the program-I do not remember what exactly-and I was moved by how she related the She event to the needs of others.

Very far removed from how I used to feel sitting in certain massive theatres surrounded by wankers who wouldn't know humility if it threw up in their soup.

Goodnight x

- The She Festival, and learning to trust that it's interesting...הרוע ה'א

It is over a week since the Karov's largest scale She festival to date.

With a rotating audience of over 120, every nook and cranny from the kitchen to the foyer with blindfolded performance art and contorting women in glass balls in the spaces between, SHE was pure Karovian magic at its height.

The night before we had the tech with all 5 of us, plus Dorit. As Pazit Yaron Minakovski breastfed her newborn baby in between her kitchen 'Pass the Salt' monologue, I really thought how truly "she" it all was with no pretense beyond the practical, and that really was special. Her baby was very well-behaved as well, even during Sara Sidoni's scary bit with the torch in the corridor leading to the bathrooms. She charted the experiences of a harassed woman breaking into bits of 'I Feel Pretty' in between, switching between English and Ivrit. Naomi Ben Asa...the lady using the glass bubble/ball and dance music soundtrack...is one of the warmest people I have ever met in my life. Her other full-time work is as a psychotherapist. Meredith Nadler from Germany asked half of her audience to orally describe her dancing to a blindfolded partner. She had just worked a few weeks in Haifa and has now gone back to the States. Dorit herself performed with renowned sculptor Yakov Chefetz, exploring the differences between live and recorded performance. Each year Dorit revives the SHE with strong recognition and memory of her friend Tali with whom she co-founded the idea 6 years ago. Tali subsequently passed away from cancer 2 years later. To experience not only the SHE process but its passionate legacy through the expressiveness of Dorit and her belief in the women she involves is pretty unique.

We each performed a small section of our shows. Afterwards Sara Sidoni commented, on Undressing Cabaret, that there was no distinction between the "performance" style and the singing that accompanies the getting dressed/getting undressed. The only difference was the type of song and the prime emotion (cute vs angry, I suppose) whereas the focus belonged to the state of mind...that of performing and projecting 2D-type sexiness versus not performing - the songs coming from inside as and when the preparation/unwinding process took place.

So afterwards, the night before the festival, Dorit and I went back to work. Before that I spent a good hour playing with her kids Mika and Yarden - two extraordinary little girls of 8 and 6 with all their mother's gumption, energy and intelligence. They gave me one of the best playtimes of my life and I have had many, many, many amazing playtimes in my life.

When Dorit's husband Effi finally took the kids home Dorit said, 'Alexa, look. You have to trust that what you do is interesting. When you are removing the eyeliner or putting on the shoes, it is a show in itself...it is watchable and special without the singing from deep down that then becomes crazy. If you want to show a woman who acts desperately in her dressing room and then goes out and tries to perform like Marilyn Monroe then that is fine and we will change the concept, but that isn't how, where and why we have worked so far. Let the songs just come to you, I beg of you.'

So that is what I did and it wasn't easy and it wasn't difficult - just different different different. Before the show I could watch all the audience congregating in the Tahana Merkazit to watch the six women in the dress (pictured here) and it was so exciting to see them arrive...all the different people. It was packed out...beyond capacity...and people were sitting on the pissed-on floor in my room which must have been nice for them.

I couldn't believe how many of my new friends came...it meant so much to me. I had invited Moti Sandak who is Director of All About Jewish Theatre - a network connecting Israel and Jewish arts all around the world. He liked SHE and we are now talking about using the Karov to forge a Next Generation section of his website in which young Diaspora discover Israel and its arts scene in a specific educational/professional opportunity.

For my own part in site-specific singing, I will now start to develop an idea in Tel Aviv which I will propose to a special Israeli festival I heard about some months ago. The chances of its being accepted are slim but I need to continue learning about my own processes of working. I need to learn how to risk in the way that is right for me.


Photos by Erika

Karov and the ARDC - our upcoming website page...

In August 2009 the Karov joined forces with the African Refugee and Development Centre to combine community, learning and theatrical fun.

We welcomed 40 children for a day of exploring our little theatre from the lighting board to the scene dock, from production process to mixed media. Dorit Nitai Neman led a special talk and workshop of the set of Hotel Europe assisted by the Karov team. In-house technician Ronen Bachar showed just how different lights and sounds transform a story into a full-on play experience.

Keeping children stimulated during the long summer holidays is a real challenge whatever your material status. When funds are low or non-existent, however, kids miss out even more with the advent of Playstations, computers and videogames being the modern solution.

The Karov believes in the power of theatre beyond the experience of just seeing a play. To give children the tools to create their own worlds, use their imagiations and, most significantly, see their neighborhood in a new light enriches our philosophy to the full.

Marketing manager Liron Ben Ezra remarked, It was an amazing day - we learnt as much from the kids as they did from us. Acting Artistic Director Dorit said, To see the children touching the projected film on the wall was really just incredible - many of them had never even seen a movie before and I had tears in my eyes.

Nearly a year on, we want to re-create this special day on a bi-monthly basis, extending our audience demographic beyond the expected age and social background of the average 2010 theatregoer in Tel Aviv. Our new International Relations department is looking for sponsors and fundraising opportunities to make this special project happen.

If you can help in any way, have any ideas, or would like to know more, please comment or email Alexa at skarov3@gmail.com.

Let's take Community Karov and Israeli Fringe to the next level.

Community Karov...well the kids love it.

The Karov Theatre meets the kids from the ARDC, Tel Aviv.

Before leaving for Eilat last Friday I made the beautiful discovery that Dorit and co pioneered a very special day last August. Around 40 children from the African Refugee and Development Centre spent a day at the theatre with actors, technicians and designers, plus the Karov team, to learn all about the magic of theatre and the all-important links with playtime.

I couldn't believe I'd been here nearly 3 months and never known about this, especially as Fiona and Gemma and lots of other Oranimers are volunteering for the ARDC. Later this week I will meet with Joanna, who manages the centre, to see if we can fundraise to make this a regular event. Below is the English page I've written for the Karov website. If you know of anyone or anything that could help, do let me know.

Love, and She Festival backlog coming coming coming, as well as forthcoming attendance of the (naked) Ashram Festival in the desert, the All About Jewish Theatre Next Generation, and a very special award for the Karov for our delicious show The Clown, the Whore and the Intellectual.

Shavua tov le culam.