Habima Theater
Encyclopedia
The Habima Theatre is the national theatre of Israel
and one of the first Hebrew language
theatres. It is located in Habima Square
in the center of Tel Aviv
.
Habima was founded by Nahum Zemach in Moscow
soon after the 1905 revolution. Because its performances were in Hebrew and it dealt with issues of the Jewish people, it met with persecution by the Czarist government. Beginning in 1918, it operated under the auspices of the Moscow Art Theatre
, which some consider its true beginning. It encountered difficulties under the Soviet government as well after the Russian Revolution. Stanislavski arranged for the mainly Jewish Polish actors to be trained by Yevgeny Vakhtangov
. The People's Commissar of Nationalities Affairs, Joseph Stalin
, also authorized the theatre's creation.
In 1926, the theatre left the Soviet Union
to tour abroad, including in the United States. Zemach and some actors stayed in New York City
, where their productions had met with success. Their productions included plays from the Jewish folk tradition, and they were performed in Hebrew. The company split up, with some members choosing to stay in New York.
Other members of the theatre took the company to Mandate Palestine in 1928. At that time the Habima Players invited director Aleksei Dikiy
from the Moscow Art Theatre to help them. Dikiy directed two successful plays for Habima: one was Der Oytser (The Treasure), a play in Yiddish by Sholom Aleichem
, which premiered on December 29, 1928. The second was The Crown, a play by David Calderon that premiered on May 23, 1929 in Tel Aviv. With the success of Dikiy's directorship in the season of 1928/29, Habima gained reputation as a national Jewish theatre with a permanent repertoire and stage in Tel Aviv.
The image of actress Hana Rovina starring as Leah'le in the historical Habima production of S. Ansky
's The Dybbuk (performed by Habima in the Hebrew-language translation by Hayyim Nahman Bialik
) is a cultural icon that to many represents Jewish and Israeli theatre.
In 1945, the company built a theatre in Tel Aviv, which it occupied before completion. Habima has been officially considered the national theatre of Israel since 1958, the year in which it received the Israel Prize
for theatre. This was the first year in which the Prize was awarded to an organization. In the 21st century, Habima employs 80 actors, and another 120 staff members work at the complex.
. More than NIS 100 million has been invested in the vast makeover, which has added 500 square meters of floor space and three new rehearsal rooms. The building's four auditoriums have been completely rebuilt.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and one of the first Hebrew language
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
theatres. It is located in Habima Square
Habima Square
HaBima Square is a public space in the center of Tel Aviv, Israel, which is home to a number of cultural institutions such as the Habima Theatre, the Fredric R. Mann Auditorium and the Helena Rubinstein Pavilion for Contemporary Art...
in the center of Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
.
History
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
soon after the 1905 revolution. Because its performances were in Hebrew and it dealt with issues of the Jewish people, it met with persecution by the Czarist government. Beginning in 1918, it operated under the auspices of the Moscow Art Theatre
Moscow Art Theatre
The Moscow Art Theatre is a theatre company in Moscow that the seminal Russian theatre practitioner Constantin Stanislavski, together with the playwright and director Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, founded in 1898. It was conceived as a venue for naturalistic theatre, in contrast to the melodramas...
, which some consider its true beginning. It encountered difficulties under the Soviet government as well after the Russian Revolution. Stanislavski arranged for the mainly Jewish Polish actors to be trained by Yevgeny Vakhtangov
Yevgeny Vakhtangov
Yevgeny Bagrationovich Vakhtangov was a Russian actor and theatre director who founded the Vakhtangov Theatre. He was a friend and mentor of Michael Chekhov.Vakhtangov was born to Armenian-Russian parents from Ossetia in Vladikavkaz...
. The People's Commissar of Nationalities Affairs, Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
, also authorized the theatre's creation.
In 1926, the theatre left the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
to tour abroad, including in the United States. Zemach and some actors stayed in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where their productions had met with success. Their productions included plays from the Jewish folk tradition, and they were performed in Hebrew. The company split up, with some members choosing to stay in New York.
Other members of the theatre took the company to Mandate Palestine in 1928. At that time the Habima Players invited director Aleksei Dikiy
Aleksei Dikiy
-Ukraine:He was born Aleksei Denisovich Dikiy on February 24, 1889, inEkaterinoslav, Russian Empire, now Dnepropetrivsk, Ukraine. At youngage he moved to Kharkov, where his sister, named Maria Sukhodolska - Dikova, was a popular actress, and she helped...
from the Moscow Art Theatre to help them. Dikiy directed two successful plays for Habima: one was Der Oytser (The Treasure), a play in Yiddish by Sholom Aleichem
Sholom Aleichem
Sholem Aleichem was the pen name of Solomon Naumovich Rabinovich, a leading Yiddish author and playwright...
, which premiered on December 29, 1928. The second was The Crown, a play by David Calderon that premiered on May 23, 1929 in Tel Aviv. With the success of Dikiy's directorship in the season of 1928/29, Habima gained reputation as a national Jewish theatre with a permanent repertoire and stage in Tel Aviv.
The image of actress Hana Rovina starring as Leah'le in the historical Habima production of S. Ansky
S. Ansky
Shloyme Zanvl Rappoport , known by his pseudonym S. Ansky , was a Russian Jewish author, playwright, and researcher of Jewish folklore....
's The Dybbuk (performed by Habima in the Hebrew-language translation by Hayyim Nahman Bialik
Hayyim Nahman Bialik
Hayim Nahman Bialik , also Chaim or Haim, was a Jewish poet who wrote in Hebrew. Bialik was one of the pioneers of modern Hebrew poets and came to be recognized as Israel's national poet.-Biography:...
) is a cultural icon that to many represents Jewish and Israeli theatre.
In 1945, the company built a theatre in Tel Aviv, which it occupied before completion. Habima has been officially considered the national theatre of Israel since 1958, the year in which it received the Israel Prize
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
for theatre. This was the first year in which the Prize was awarded to an organization. In the 21st century, Habima employs 80 actors, and another 120 staff members work at the complex.
Restoration
The theatre is currently undergoing renovations from the foundations up, with designs by architect Ram KarmiRam Karmi
Ram Karmi is a leading Israeli architect. He is head of the Tel Aviv-based Ram Karmi Architects company, and is known for his Brutalist style.-Biography:Ram Karmi was born in Jerusalem, and grew up in Tel Aviv...
. More than NIS 100 million has been invested in the vast makeover, which has added 500 square meters of floor space and three new rehearsal rooms. The building's four auditoriums have been completely rebuilt.
Other theaters
- Solomon StramerSolomon StramerSolomon Stramer, was the leader of a Yiddish theater troupe founded in Vienna, Austria, but based in Cluj, Romania from 1919 at least until the late 1920s...
's Yiddish theater troupe in ClujCluj-NapocaCluj-Napoca , commonly known as Cluj, is the fourth most populous city in Romania and the seat of Cluj County in the northwestern part of the country. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest , Budapest and Belgrade...
, TransylvaniaTransylvaniaTransylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
in the 1920s was also called Habimah.