The Camry
I’ve been at Camry for 12 years now in different roles, in different forms and this is the closest home away from home I have. I once heard that Yossi Banai told a young actress that the theater should not be called a “home” and that there should be a clear separation, but there were times when I spent 16-18 hours a day in the theater, more hours a day than in my real home. That’s why after my play, “In my body I understand”, was staged at the only play festival Teatronto, it was clear to me that the chamber was the natural place to continue. It is also the place where I feel most comfortable in the world. On stage there is a serenity that is almost a real Zen moment. Each part of the theater is connected to a different time of day: The entrance to an empty hall, when there is a day performance or a rehearsal for a show, the chamber square at sunset, when the theater comes to life and an audience begins to arrive. And the silence of the night, after the shows, at the entrance of the artists, in front of Dubnov Garden. Some of the most interesting and magical conversations always happen there.
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The Camry (Photo: Shutterstock)
Ariela’s house
It takes a special vision to transform an outdated urban building into one of the sexiest places in town. Some of the interesting things that Tel Aviv and Jaffa have to offer happen at Beit Ariela: parties, concerts, festivals, unexpected artistic collaborations. I served as a soldier in the IDF and spent quite a bit of time in the press archive in the library, and I would not have guessed that one day the library would become an urban hot spot. In addition, the Ariela house has workspaces that suit me perfectly. Usually when I write, I write at home. I am unable to write in cafes, Too many distractions. But in the urban living room there is both silence that allows you to concentrate and togetherness. It is a place that gives me a lot of creative inspiration.
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Ariela House Library (Photo: Meir Shapira)
the barbie
The place to see performances in Tel Aviv for me, the perfect setting for artists from Israel and abroad. I read with a little pinch thatThe barbie is supposed to move to the port of Jaffa. I have many memories of this corner, in Kibbutz Galvoit, corner of Herzl, with the permanent and secret parking that is always available for friends from out of town (and which I do not reveal). What’s more, I’m already stressed about how they will pack and move the chandelier from the place. Performances at Barbie have a special intimacy with the energy of stadiums. Besides, it’s the most fun to dance on the stairs there.
52 Postcards Kibbutz
Mercedes Band in Barbie (Photo: Orit Panini)
Anita
Besides my addiction to coffee (an addiction that I make sure to cultivate) I have a severe addiction to ice cream. It really is the most wonderful food in the world and it doesn’t matter if it’s winter or summer – there is no time too early or too late to eat ice cream, on the contrary, after the shows, everything tastes better. There are quite a few good ice cream parlors, but my favorite of them all is Anita. Everything tastes good there and I’m pretty sure I’ve tried every flavor they have to offer, as long as it has chocolate, of course. And regarding the eternal question – vanilla or chocolate? It is clear that chocolate and here there is no chance of negotiation or drawing up a compromise.
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Golden collection in Anita. Photo: Afik Gabai
Pisces Alley
My one-man show, “In my body I understand”, which is based on David Grossman’s masterful book, premiered at the Simet Theater, which is located in Mazal Mezim Alley, as part of the Teatronto Festival. In addition to the fact that this is one of the most beautiful alleys there is, during rehearsals, in the weeks leading up to the show, I spent a lot of time in this alley and it has a different rhythm, a different character and even a sense of a different time zone. Quite a few of my understandings about the role and the play happened while walking to and from the theater. What further adds to my love for the alley is the proximity to the sea. If there was a less successful rehearsal or if you need immediate inspiration, you can simply go up to the roof of the Alley Theater or proceed to the promenade of Old Jaffa and the view of the sea will do the trick.
Kaplan Street corner Menachem Begin Road
The place that is already 11 weeks fills me with hope. I’m a political person, a candle girl and a graduate of the tent and Balfour protests – but this is the most exciting protest of all and it’s getting stronger week by week. Wislava Szymborska wrote “everything is political” and I don’t think it’s possible to live in a country like Israel and not take a stand, certainly not in a time like now. Silence is also political, it is a choice. I am there every Shabbat and at the demonstrations in the middle of the week, and draw strength from the clear knowledge that we have woken up. This is the place with the most solidarity and acceptance in Israel. There is representation for everything and without apology – men and women, old and young, right and left, secular and religious, LGBT and straight, Druze and Arab. One of the things that moves me the most is the change that has occurred in language. “We are not afraid.” The news will come from Kaplan.
The democracy protest in Kaplan. The 150,000 demonstration, 04.02 (Photo: Or Adar)
Rotem Carmeli will present “In my body I understand” at Kameri (see above) on Monday (27.3) 20:30, for other dates