Theater coup Theater coup

Puppetry and projection from Jerusalem

Hazira brings its multimedia play to the Brooklyn stage

By Jessica Steinberg
  • Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
 28 October 2014, 3:19 am
Mounds of salt make up the set of 'Salt of the Earth,' Hazira's media-rich play that will be performed at the Brooklyn Academy of Music this week (photo credit: Yair Meyuhas)

Jerusalem’s Hazira Performance Art Company will perform “Salt of the Earth,” one of its latest productions, during the Next Wave Festival at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

“It’s a big accomplishment for the theater,” said Zvi Sahar, the creator and director of the multimedia show.

The show is told with puppetry, miniature sets, projected videos and about 450 kg (1,000 pounds) of table salt. Inspired by the bestselling 1984 Israeli novel, The Road to Ein Harod, by Amos Kenan, it tells the story of a man — portrayed by a nameless puppet — fleeing Tel Aviv from the country’s latest military coup, and his efforts to survive and persevere.

This latest performance is not the first adaptation of Kenan’s book. The Road to Ein Harod was adapted to the screen at the beginning of the 1990s by director Doron Eran. And, in 2004, it was turned into a play that was performed at the Acre Fringe Theater Festival.

Sahar’s Hazira version utilizes what is known as “PuppetCinema,” a form of cinematographic theater and animation.

“Salt of the Earth,” October 28 – November 1, Next Wave Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music. Tickets $20.

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