The princess doesn’t eat cheeseburgers

The International Fringe Theatre Festival – Acco, Israel, 2015

Suzanne Dellal Center for Dance and Theatre, Tel-Aviv, Israel, 2015

Written & Directed by Ruthie Osterman

 Photo: Uri Druckman

 

 

A post-dramatic correspondence with “The Tale of the King’s Lost Daughter” by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov.

The play examines the encounter between the live body and the screened image. It integrates cinematic and theatrical points of view, both occurring in real time.

 

The play is a realistic fantasy dealing with the issues of broken identity and the various layers of reality. The plot is based on an ancient legend by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov about a king who one day, in a moment of anger, said to his beloved daughter “The non-good will take you!” and then she suddenly disappeared. The king sent his servant to search for his daughter- the princess. Through a surreal and complex journey the servant managed to bring the princess back from “the non-good”, but we never find out how.  

 

The play gives a new, contemporary and personal interpretation to the ancient legend and to an existence that is defined as “non-good”. The play raises philosophical questions about our existence and about the many layers of reality: conscious, unconscious, memory, dreams, imagination etc. The play presents a reality in which different places (such as London, Tel-Aviv and Warsaw), different times (past and present) and different dimensions (reality and imagination) co-exist and mingle with intensity.

 

For a full synopsis see: “The princess doesn’t eat cheeseburgers”

 

Photo: Uri Druckman

 

Playwright & Director 

Ruthie Osterman

Asst. Director & Movement design

Nuphar Blechner

Video art:

Uri Druckman

Set & costume design:

Shani Tur

Assistant designer:

Zohar Elmaliach

Music:

Nadav Rubinstien

Lighting design:

Shachar Werechson

Production manager: 

Dahna Katz

Actors:

Mutzi Aviv | Roy Calderon | Michael Charny | Dalia Friedland | Itzik Golan | Ruthie Osterman | João Telmo

 

 Photo: Uri Druckman

 

About the performance: 

The play was first performed at The International Fringe Theatre Festival in Acre- Israel 2015. The performance took place in a unique site- an historical Arabic house where the audience was sitting in the main living room and was surrounded by the show that took place in the rooms and the main space.  

The unique site  allowed the audience to be part of the show and challenged their perception and senses while they could only hear or see through a screen some of the scenes that took place in the rooms, or could see a scene from different points of view: life on stage and projected on the screen at the same time.

 

 Photo: Asher Shmulevich

 

The Princess Doesn’t Eat Cheeseburgers – Part 1

Film photographer & editor:  Tamir Platzmann

 

 

The Princess Doesn’t Eat Cheeseburgers – Part 2

Film photographer & editor:  Tamir Platzmann 

 

 

In this performance we explored the encounter between the live body and the screened image and the artistic possibilities which exist in the combination between theatre and cinema.

The show consists of seven actors and three live cameras that were operated by the actors. During the show, the actors shot the scenes and created images that were edited live by a video operator. The audience could watch the show either on the main screen or live on stage.   

In each and every scene we explored the theatrical and cinematic languages and tried to create layers of meaning by the combination of them.

 

 

 

 

 

Photo : Uri Druckman

 

About the creative process:

The rehearsals on this play took place between July-September 2015 in Tel Aviv and later on in Acre. We worked every day for three months in the studio, improvising and exploring the unique theatrical language of the show and the combination between the media. We analyzed the ancient legend by Rabbi Nachman of Breslov and were looking for its contemporary relevance. We dealt with philosophical and existential issues that the play raises such as multiple identities, the role of a God/father and the question “what is not- good?”

 

During the last month before the show, the complete cast lived together in the artist-village “Ein Hod” near Acre, in order to rehears in the specific site (The Arabic house in Acre). We worked in the space, adapting the show to the house, feeling and living it from inside.

Our international cast consists of old and famous actors such as Dalia Friendland and Mutzi Aviv alongside young and promising actors such as Itzik Golan, Roy Calderon and Michael Charny, and a Portuguese actor- Joao Telmo.

 

  Photo:Lilach Peled-Charny

 

 

Media & Reviews 

Review at the NRG – Culture / By Ofir Halel

“The Princess Doesn’r Eat Cheeseburges” at the Acco Festival

“The Princess Doesn’r Eat Cheeseburges” at The  Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theatre

 

 

 

 

 

The show was supported by:

 Mifal Hapais – the council for culture & Art

 Acco Festival

Jaffa Theatre – a stage for Arab-Hebrew Culture

 Alma – Home for Hebrew Culture

 Analytica Management & Investment

 P.M.I. Kids’ World

Polish Modern Art foundation – Dom Keret House.

 

Spacial thanks to: 

Artistic management of the Acco Festival: Avi Gibson Barel, Gil Alon, Yuval Meskin, Frida Shoam.

Abraham Osterman, Amir Basan, Boaz Dekel, Konrad Wdowiak, Joanna Wesolowska, Sophy Turkea Yurman, Ilan Nov, Nechama Levendel , Lilach Peled-Charny, Asher Zano, Meir Blechner, Ken Mizutani and Roberto Puzone (Media department at the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama). 

Thanks to God, for the good and the non-good.