At Nalaga’at festival, the blind lead the public to food and fun in the dark

Chef Uri Jeremiah of Acre’s Uri Buri, singer Alon Eder and cult show “Conversations with the Bartender” are all part of this year’s Nalaga’at Festival for the Groundbreaking Arts, taking place December 3 to 7 in the Nalaga’at center in Jaffa.

The festival begins on December 3, which is International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

The arts center, perhaps best known for its blackout restaurant, where meals are served in complete darkness to better understand life for the hearing-impaired and visually impaired, will host performances and discussions as part of the week-long event.

Chef Uri Jeremiah of Acre’s famed Uri Buri fish restaurant will host two seatings of a pop-up meal on December 4, at NIS 260 ($71) per person.

“Conversations with the Bartender,” the cult show that engages the audience will be held in complete darkness on December 7, featuring Dvir Benedek, Alon Levy, Alona Drotman, and Shlomi Edri as the bartender.

Hearing- and visually-impaired actors will perform “Something is Missing” on the festival’s opening night, December 3, a comedy of errors in which a troupe of actors mistakenly think a messenger is their new director in a performance about inclusion.

A conversation with poet and playwright Yoav Ginai will be held in complete darkness, as he speaks with actress Anat Atzmon, daughter of actor Shmuel Atzmon, on December 5.

In the musical library event on December 4, poet Haim Be’er, actor Lior Ashkenazi, and musical artists Daniel Salomon, Karni Postel and Keren Tenenbaum will entertain with a reading, musical performance and lecture.

The final event on Saturday night, December 7 is a concert with singer-songwriter Alon Eder, held in complete darkness.

For more details and tickets, head to the Nalaga’at website.