Interactive theatrical project based on Jewish texts created in Israel
In Jerusalem, Israel, Theatre Company Jerusalem and Theater and Theology created the interactive project Sarah: Text and Presence, which combines biblical, midrashic, and contemporary texts with theater and music. The performance was developed and is performed by directors Gabriella Lew and Yael Valier. The project is covered in a Jerusalem Post article marked as advertising.
Performative beit midrash
Sarah: Text and Presence is the second joint work by Theatre Company Jerusalem and Theater and Theology. The project uses material from the Hebrew-language production Sara Take 2 but, according to Lew, is not its continuation, but a separate event.
The creators call the format a “performative beit midrash” — an interactive event that brings together several genres and performers. It combines live music, biblical and midrashic texts, contemporary texts, monologues by Aliza Elion Israeli, and haiku by poet Sarah Tropper. A special lighting design for the project was created by John Krug.
The image of Sarah and dialogue with the audience
Lew explained that the biblical Sarah was chosen because of the contradictory nature of her image, which she believes is theatrical by its nature. The creators also draw on the midrashic connection between Sarah’s crying and the shofar, inviting reflection on what her voice might mean today.
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Valier noted that the Jewish tradition of learning involves interaction. In the production, the model of paired learning and havruta discussion was brought into the theatrical space, where the text enters into dialogue with actors and the audience, as well as with humor, associations, interpretations, and empathy.
Theater without technical mediation
Lew connects the project’s concept with the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and the events of October 7. In her view, the value of theater lies in the physical presence of people experiencing an event together in the same space.
The director also said that she sought to create an event without sound amplification, microphones, or lighting effects. The performance uses candles, a shofar, Sarah Tropper’s haiku, and live acoustic music by composer and cantor Daniel Fox.
