Gaza Envelope Evacuees' Journey From Trauma Staged at National Theater
Translated & summarized from Kan News by baba
The "Otef HaNegev" theater is staging its documentary play "A Place to Live" at the Habima National Theater in Tel Aviv on October 18th and 19th. The production, based on personal accounts from Gaza Envelope residents, explores their journey from home to displacement and their longing for security. The play aims to process the trauma of the October 7th massacre and keep the plight of evacuees in public focus. Following the performances, discussions will be held with the creators and community members.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- The "Otef HaNegev" theater will perform its play "A Place to Live" at Habima National Theater on October 18-19.
- The documentary play is based on personal testimonies and experiences of Gaza Envelope residents.
- It explores the journey of evacuees from their homes to temporary housing and their search for security.
- The production aims to process the trauma of the October 7th massacre and highlight the evacuees' situation.
- Ilanit Swisa, a playwright and evacuee, will moderate a discussion following the October 19th performance.
- Further performances are scheduled in Kibbutz Urim and Jerusalem later in October.
The "Otef HaNegev" theater will present its flagship play, "A Place to Live," at the Habima National Theater next week, marking three years since the October 7th massacre. The documentary production, which won the "Golden Hedgehog" award, is based on personal testimonies, WhatsApp messages, and experiences of actors and creators from the Gaza Envelope communities.
"This is a play we didn't want to make," said Amitai Yaish Ben Ozilio, the theater's artistic director and the play's creator, in an interview. He explained that the disaster brought forth documentary material from the actors, creators, and even their surroundings. The play explores the "longing for home and the concept of home," tracing the residents' journey from safe homes and strong communities to places that became dangerous and necessitated escape, and then to temporary housing in hotels.
Ben Ozilio added that the work stems from a collective desire to understand what happened to their homes and how to regain a sense of security. Following a recent tour in Georgia, he emphasized the importance of continuing to tell their story. Ilanit Swisa, a playwright, director, and resident of Kfar Aza who will moderate a discussion after the play, shared her feelings as someone who has not yet returned home, stating, "I am looking for a place to live. We are still in Shapim."
Swisa candidly admitted that she "didn't function much" in the first year and a half after October 7th, but highlighted the theater's significance for the community, calling it a source of inspiration, comfort, processing, and even therapy for the general public and the Gaza Envelope residents.
She stressed the need to keep the issue of evacuees in the public eye, noting that while people are slowly returning to their routines, many, like herself, have been left behind. Swisa expressed a desire for the sense of unity experienced after October 7th not to be lost.
The play will be performed at Habima on Sunday and Monday, October 18th and 19th. A discussion led by Ilanit Swisa and featuring Yair Wiesner, a member of the Kerem Shalom standby unit, will take place on Monday. Further performances are scheduled for Kibbutz Urim on October 23rd and the Visual Theater School in Jerusalem on October 29th.