“Habima” by Raikin Ben-Ari, published 1957
By Sheila Orysiek
SAN DIEGO — In the first full flush of the collective movement in the new USSR immediately after the Revolution, Nahum Zumach, gathered together a small group of amateur actors to create a theatre group to present a repertoire of plays in Hebrew. Dreaming of a futuristic “new thinking” dramatic theatre, they immediately encountered two problems: there were very few plays written in Hebrew and the audience for such productions was exceedingly small.
Undaunted, the group labored long and hard, battling the bureaucracy in Moscow, poverty, and differences of concept within the group. Along the way they studied under and were directed by some of the great names in drama, such as Max Reinhart and Constantin Stanislavsky. As the audiences in Moscow dwindled they toured Europe and then America. Their resolve to only perform in Hebrew and their persistence in adhering to a “collective” system (anyone can play any role), rather than a “star” system – severely hampered their success. The onset of the Depression hastened the splintering of the group; some electing to return to Europe and the rest choosing to remain in America.
But the idea didn’t die. Some members eventually immigrated to Palestine and reconstituted the vision of a Hebrew language based performing arts theatre. The artistic descendants of the original group exist today in Tel Aviv and inhabit the beautiful building shown above.
The book also includes fairly extensive discussion on various acting methods and would be of interest to the student of drama as well as the more casual reader.
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Orysiek is a freelance writer who specializes in arts and literature. Comments may be made in the space provided below this article or sent to the author at sheila.orysiek@sdjewishworld.com
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