After a six week run, Hatikvah closed on July 17th. Audiences were moved by the show and stayed long after to discuss the content. We are in talks with other theaters to continue to develop the show so stay tuned...
The LA Weekly and Backstage both called Hal Friedman's play "passionate"!
Flavorpill.com wrote of Hatikvah:
"This courageous and profound play tells its story from three separate historical points of view: the Biblical time of Abraham; the post-WWII era, when the British occupied Palestine and the Jews searched for a homeland; and the present day, when the Palestinians find themselves at odds with Israel as they seek to establish a place to call home. Making a plea for an end to the cycle of escalating violence in favor of new thinking, Hatikvah combines history, politics, poetry, and conscience in an unforgettable and powerful work. (SK)"
The play written by Hal who graduated with honors from New York University and won the Maryland State playwriting contest and Dramatics Magazine playwriting competition for an earlier version of Hatikvah. The production is staged and directed by Roger, the 2002 winner of the Best Director awards given by both the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle and the LA Weekly.
It all started when Hal, a transplant from New York, arrived in Bakersfield, CA with a script and a desire to get it done. He met Roger there, a director with some experience, and when he explained his ideas and concepts, Roger was interested.
Collaborating on the script, which involves the Israeli/Palestinean conflict through three historical reference points, became an interesting endeavor. Both wanted to tell the story equally. Hal was Jewish and had a certain perspective on things, while Roger grew up in the Middle East and had another perspective. The two combined their viewpoints to try and create a balanced piece about three generations of people living in a troubled land.
The show is a "work in progress" and will change as we go through the rehearsal process.
The story is not against Muslims or Jews but rather, it is against violence and hopes to serve as a piece that will make people not just want to re-think the violence in the Middle East, but the violence everywhere in the world. As we see the constant cycle of violence that happens on both sides throughout history and how history repeats itself, this play is trying to convey a message that says "let us be the one to break that cycle."
The story is told in three separate historical points: the Biblical time of Abraham, the man considered to be the father of both religions; the time after World War II when the British occupied Palestine and the Jews were looking for a homeland after the horrors of the Holocaust; and present day, where the Palestinians find themselves at odds with Israel as they seek to establish a place they can call home.
The show will need almost thirty brave and talented actors to handle the telling of this timely tale.
To keep informed about the progress of the show join the YAHOO GROUP!
Hatikvah was performed at Spotlight Theatre in Downtown Bakersfield, on July 25, 26, 31, and August 1 and 2 at 8 PM. The final two nights were sold out and the show brought in over three hundred people in two weeks!
An encore presentation of the show was staged at the Candlelight Dinner Theater on November 21, 22, 28, and 29 and brought some audience members to tears.
The production will move to Los Angeles in the summer of 2004, landing on Stage 52...
The Bakersfield Californian wrote about "Hatikvah":
"There's a poetic sadness that runs deep underneath the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, and Bakersfield writer Hal Friedman has tapped into it with sublime perfection in his show, Hatikvah.
The show -- directed by Roger Mathey for the Spotlight Theatre, where it runs one final weekend -- deftly blends a dramatic war saga, drawing a line from the biblical story of Abram/Abraham, which bisects Jews and Arabs between his sons Isaac and Ishmael, with a touching spiritual quest for one Jewish family in modern times.
For those who are well aware of the undercurrent of sadness that surrounds the Holy Land, 'Hatikvah' is a sublime story of the highest order."
Emily Thiroux, Artistic Director of the Spotlight Theater writes:
"Hatikvah means Hope. I had the opportunity to see an amazing performance of a world premiere play, 'Hatikvah', at the Spotlight Theatre last night.
This show chronicles the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians throughout history in a thought provoking, spell binding manner that causes great discussion and contemplation. An audience member can not help but to be drawn in to the complex subject matter. This seemingly never ending controversy should be examined by all of society to help us understand the fight for peace.
Bakersfield needs to know this incredible production is available for them to experience here before it moves to Los Angeles. It is destined to be one of the most remembered literary works of our time."