Shards of Laughter, created and conceived by Gabriella Lev, with direction by Yael Valier, will play in Jerusalem, at Beit Mazia, 18 Mesilat Yesharim, on July 8, 9, 15, 16. The performance is at 20:00.
"I would definitely see this show again." ~Yael Unterman, Jerusalem Post review:
In Shards, Gabi Lev, a master performer and storyteller, pieces together her family's Holocaust history from the fragmented stories and mysterious references she heard as a child and explored as an adult. The result is at once a deeply personal portrait of her family's struggle, and a microcosm of the European Jewish experience during the Shoah. Told with honesty, artistry, and, sometimes, defiant humor as an act of faith, Shards leaves its impression in the intellect and in the spirit.
On the personal front and on the national one, this show, to me, is part of the answer of how to orient ourselves toward the three weeks and 9th Av, which is something I have been actively struggling with for years. To acknowledge the bad, to live it, and certainly not to try to erase it as “no longer relevant,” but also to seek and acknowledge the good and to give it its place. It’s a difficult balancing act.
I don’t produce Holocaust shows as a rule. I did it this time because of the stripped simplicity and piercing relevance of the story and format, because Gabi Lev is a masterful and enthralling storyteller, and because the Gabi's ability to tell a story and incorporate moments of direct address of the audience, moves me.
~Yael Valier, Creative Director, Theater and Theology
Note that the performance includes recorded music, including upbeat music in two scenes involving memories of a wedding and of family meals.
Gabriella Lev is founding artistic director of Theatre Company Jerusalem, one of Israel's most distinctive theatre companies. She is a recipient of the Kipod Hazahav Award for Lifetime Achievement, and the Jerusalem Award for Unique Contribution to Cultural Life. Gabi, raised in Australia, usually directs and performs in Hebrew. Shards provides a rare opportunity for English-speakers to experience her magic on stage.
Rehearsal and performance scenes from current and previous productions
