Epilogue: Samson's Rest
By David Grossman
There's one moment in Samson's story – the moment when he falls asleep on Delilah's knees – where the entire story shrinks. Samson curls up to the childish, almost infantile, experience, without violence, frenzy, or urges that complicated his life and wreaked havoc. Of course, this is also the moment where his fate is sealed, because Delilah already seizes his locks and the blade, and the Philistines celebrate their victory outside. |
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Martin Buber's Mystery Play Elijah
By Maurice Friedman
Although Martin Buber's "mystery play" Elijah was not written until 1956 and was not published in German until 1963, Buber's active interest in writing a play on Elijah dates back to 1901 and the Jewish Renaissance Movement, which he saw as the central thrust of the cultural Zionism which he espoused. Two of the poems which he published on Elijah in that period seemed to Buber of sufficient lasting worth to be taken up into his Nachlese, or "gleanings," prepared just before his death. 1 Both poe |
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The Bible as Theatre
By Shimon Levy
“Not the Mandate is our Bible, but the Bible is our Mandate,” declared Zionist leader and Israel’s first Prime Minister David Ben Gurion, who appeared before the British Peele committee in 1937. After the British Mandate ended and the State of Israel was established, in 1948, the Ministry of Education attempted to present the Old Testament indeed as a historical Mandate, a secular-national text, an ancient promise now fulfilled. |
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The Bible on Stage : Interesting links
The Bible on Stage : Interesting links |
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Kings of Israel
The Bible tells the story of David's reign in detail (1 Samuel 16 to 1 Kings 2:11), reflecting its importance as well as its length. David "reigned over Israel for forty years, seven and a half in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem" (c. 1009/1001-969 B.C.E.). His long reign was later regarded as Israel's "golden age"; David himself was seen as the model king. |
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Biblical Thematics in Stage Design for the Hebrew Theatre
By Orna Ben-Meir
The notion of ‘Biblical thematics’, as it shall be discussed in this article, refers to stage plays in which the Bible serves as raw material for the action and characters. The Bible constituted an inexhaustible source for Western theatre in its initial years in the ninth century, when religious ritual began to spread beyond the confines of the Church into the town squares. The elaborate mystery plays of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries travelled on pageant wagons between the cities of med |
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They sang in the barn and the coop
By Noam Ben-Zeev
In 1945, on the slope of a hill at the edge of Kibbutz Maabarot in the Hefer Valley sat a large audience from all over the country, waiting for the grand spectacle, word of which had spread far and wide and had been on everyone's lips for quite some time. At the foot of the hill was a broad expanse, an orchestra and a choir sat on a stage beneath a pergola, all around a stage set had been built, with a well in the biblical style and even a real flock of sheep that raised dust. At the edge of the |
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The 7th Bible & Love festival in Israel
The 7th Bible & Love festival : 20 cultural shows all derived from the holy book.
The National Park Of Beit Guvrin 4-8.8
The Bible & Love Festival will open it gates on the Jewish night of love, and will present a variety of cultural events with leading artists as Shalom Hanoch, Gidi Gov, Shlomo Gronich , Miri Mesika, Kobi Oz, the Andalusian Orchestra, the Israeli Camerata Jerusalem, Vertigo dance group, The Jerusalem Theatre Group and many others. |
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Samson's Heroism (1888)
The play begins as Samson returns to Timna looking for his wife, but Avishua tells him that she was given to another. Although Samson says that the people of Israel are not saints and that they deserve the Philistines' treatment of them, he uses the excuse of the wrong done to him with his wife and decides to take revenge against the Philistines, and he escapes to the desert. The people of Judea ask for his help. He allows them to hand him over to the Philistines. |
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Samson et Dalila (1877)
Saint-Saëns' opera is based on Chapter 15 of the Book of Judges, which tells the heroic story of Samson, Judge of the Jews. Samson reveals the secrets of his power to his lover Delilah. The musical piece focuses on his relationship with Delilah. The names Samson and Delilah signify day and night |
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The Tale of Samson (1724)
Luzzatto chose the Biblical character of Samson since he identified the struggle of man with his urges, his spirit and his fate in this character. He did not tie his play down to the Biblical story, but rather borrowed only its general plot, delving into the depiction of his characters and adding the lovely monologues of the active and allegorical characters. |
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Introduction to The Bible on Stage
By Moti Sandak
A special section of the Jewish theatre and performing arts website All About Jewish Theatre is dedicated to characters and plots from the Bible which served as inspiration for many creators of theatre, dance, opera, music, film, television, and performance art. This project is produced by the International Institute for Jewish & Israeli Culture in cooperation with the Torah Culture Department at the Ministry of Education and with the support of Minister of Education Prof. Yuli Tamir. |
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The Bible as Theatre at Tel Aviv University
By Ayelet Dekel
For many Israelis, the Bible is the chunky black object placed in their hands along with a handshake and a smile from the principal at their high school graduation, tribal memorabilia to put on a shelf. The enforced intimacy of religion and government in Israel combined with the tedium of the educational system has resulted in a mixture of apathy and antipathy, particularly among the younger, secular crowd. Yet at the same time it is regarded with a reverence that renders it remote and unapproac |
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Bible's Book of Exodus: Art of Passover throughout the ages
By Mirko Petricevic
Jewish artists throughout the ages have created manuscripts - called Haggadahs - to not only keep the sacred Passover story alive but to give it relevance for new generations |
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'Noah's Ark': Jointly Produced by Six European Theatres
Cameri Theatre actors Liat Glick and Shredi Jabarin will perform in 'Noah's Ark', jointly produced by six European theatres, directed by renowned Polish director Janusz Wiśniewski. |
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The Bible on Stage: Articles about biblical plays
More articles about biblical plays |
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Dramatizing the Torah: Plays about Moses
By Norman J. Fedder
Much has been written about Judaism’s “superstar”: many scholarly studies and novels have appeared but relatively little drama—especially when one considers the infinite number of plays about Jesus. Regarding the Old Testament, playwrights have been more interested in such figures as Adam, Noah, Joseph, David, Jonah, and Job; or, maybe, less intimidated. For none are as imposing as Moses |
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The Last Days of Judas Iscariot at the 68 Cent Theatre
By Robert Machray
Stephen Adly Guirgis is considered to be one of America’s leading young playwrights. In New York City his plays are usually presented by the Labyrinth Theatre Company, directed by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Here in Los Angeles they have been presented by various groups, including the prize-winning Black Dahlia Theatre and the VS Theatre Company. |
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Orthodox Women Shine Onstage
By Leah Hochbaum Rosner
At a variety show held earlier this month at Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women, an audience composed entirely of ladies sat in rapt attention as female performer after female performer sang, danced and acted her heart out. Many of the women onstage had not performed in a long time. The talent sang about God and Jerusalem and about the importance of family. They danced to convey messages of spirituality and mysticism. Many wore ankle-skimming skirts and long-sleeved shirts. Those who w |
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Best solo performer at 2007 Edinburgh Festival portrays four biblical characters
Actress Linda Marlowe is renowned for her solo performances. Inspired and enraged by current political events, Linda’s latest show BELIEVE is an exploration of war and religion from a woman’s perspective. |
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Hanukkah the “Festival of Lights” starts at Sundown Hannukah Dates 2007: Dec. 4-Dec. 12
Nearly 2,200 years ago, the Greek-Syrian ruler Antiochus IV tried to force Greek culture upon peoples in his territory. Jews in Judea—now Israel—were forbidden their most important religious practices as well as study of the Torah.
Although vastly outnumbered, religious Jews in the region took up arms to protect their community and their religion. Led by Mattathias the Hasmonean, and later his son Judah the Maccabee, the rebel armies became known as the Maccabees. |
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Ma'amarot: Staging the Agon of the Jewish Morning Service
By Sarit Cofman-Simhon
Ma'amarot, a production based on the Jewish Morning Service, was performed in
Jerusalem between 2000 and 2004 by a group of seven male actors, all of whom were
religiously observant in the Jewish faith. The production makes use of the Morning
Service (Shaharit),i the most elaborate of the three prescribed daily prayers |
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King David, Superstar: D.C.'s Theater J Will Premiere New Dance-Infused Musical in 2007-08 Season
By Kenneth Jones
A new Old Testament-inspired musical is on the 2007-08 schedule of Theater J, the Washington, D.C. theatre devoted to Jewish voices, artistic director Ari Roth announced.
The world premiere musical about King David, David in Shadow and Light, commissioned by Theater J together with the Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity, will bow May 6-June 22, 2008. |
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The Bible on Stage : Content list
Greetings by the Minister of Education, Prof. Yuli Tamir
Greetings by Rabbi Yochanan Fried, Head of the Department of Torah Culture |
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The Transformations of Biblical Samson: What makes a Biblical figure attractive?
By David Fishelov
Only part of the Bible's rich gallery of characters have been interpreted artistically time and again. King David is such an example. What is it about certain Biblical figures that repeatedly capture the imagination throughout the centuries? Why is it that Samson has been interpreted artistically more than his counterpart Barak Ben Avinoam? Is the attractiveness dependent on the centrality of the character in the Biblical world? |
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The Last Days of Judas Iscariot
By Terry Morgan
Most plays dealing seriously with religious material tend to tread cautiously, and end up either so timid that that affect nobody, or so pious that they cease being theater and instead serve as propaganda. Playwright Stephen Adly Giurgis, however, does not tread cautiously. This is not due to cockiness, but represents a desire for honesty, which is something his remarkable play "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot" admirably demonstrates. The writing is both witty and deeply felt, a legal drama that |
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Tzlalfonit and Samson in Gaza
Jacob Fichman wrote five dramatic poems based on Biblical characters.
Two of these poems deal with the life and heroism of Samson: Tzlalfonit and Samson in Gaza. |
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Samson and Delilah (1926 / 1949 )
In his novel Samson Jabotinsky offers an analysis of Samson's character, depicting him as a hero involved with his enemies the Philistines, learning their lifestyle and customs, and cunningly using this knowledge in order to strike them continuously.
The novel was originally written in Russian (1926), and was later translated into Hebrew and other languages. The 1949 Hollywood film Samson and Delilah directed by Cecil B. DeMille is based on this novel. |
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Samson – Opera (2683)
Jean-Philippe Rameau was one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the Baroque era. He replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of French opera, and was attacked by those who preferred Lully's style. |
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Samson Agonistes, A Dramatic Poem (1671)
As in other works of his, like Paradise Lost and Paradise Regain'd, Milton uses the Bible as a source for Samson Agonistes. The work is based on the story of Samson from the Book of Judges, Chapters 13-16, using structures of classic Greek texts, such as: the choir, a main protagonist who arouses sympathy with the reader/audience, and a small cast of actors. The work also contains a lot of parallels to Milton's personal life and serves as another source for researchers and academics on Milton's |
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Samson – Oratorio
Handel displayed considerable musical talent at an early age; by the age of seven he was a skilful performer on the harpsichord and pipe organ, and at nine he began to compose music. However, his father was opposed to Handel pursuing a musical career, preferring him to study law, whereas his mother encouraged him in his music. In 1702, in obedience to his father's wishes, he began the study of law, but after his father's death the following year, he abandoned law for music, becoming the organist |
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Samson, An IDF Officer or Requiem for the Land of Philistines (1969)
The play was written after the Six Day War and was performed at Habimah Theatre in 1969, directed by David Levin. The protagonist of the play Samson is an IDF officer who was wounded and blinded during the fighting in Ramat Hagolan. The son of moshav members (Hannah and Manoah), with the love of his youth Naomi by his side, as well as two army friends, Yaacov Amzaleg – an officer, and Yossi – a soldier. |
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Samson and Delilah – A Modern Day Tragedy (1985)
The play Samson and Delilah deals with love, loyalty, betrayal, truth and lies in the circus of life. In his own unique way, Menashe Levin weaves together a fantastic surrealist plot. |
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Shimshonim (1981)
The dramatic poem "Shimshonim" was originally published in 1981, and excerpts of it were later published in "Alei Siach" in 1983. The poem was written as five years of reserve duty service in Gaza. The poem presents monologues by two Samson characters. Samson A is a reserve soldier stationed in Gaza, a Holocaust survivor. Samson B is the Biblical "Samson the hero" who has become an immortal vagabond living in the city where Samson died. The poem opens with the two Samsons meeting on the beach. " |
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Greetings from the Director of the Torah Culture Department
Needless to say, the Bible has always served, throughout the generations, as the unique source of inspiration for our people and for the entire world, as well. It combines a style that is both prosaic and uplifting; it contains eternal values as well as the chronicles of history, tales of everyday life alongside great tribulations of the human spirit, guidance for the individual as well as for society, holiness and wisdom, morality and virtue, and much more. |
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The Minister's Blessings for the " The Bible on Stage Project "
By Yuli Tamir
"Great and wide as the world, rooted in the abysmal depths of creation and rising aloft into the blue mysteries of heaven...the whole human drama, everything is in this book." (Heinrich Heine) |
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Prologue: Bible as Theatre
By Shimon Levy
The Bible as theatre has been adapted into morality plays, mystery plays, and miracle plays in western and central Europe since probably the 13th century. In Judaism, Biblically-inspired plays were produced only in the 19th century (except for a few Purim plays) after ignoring the religious prohibition against them. However, the connection between the Bible and theatre won little serious critical attention. |
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King David, Superstar: D.C.'s Theater J Will Premiere New Dance-Infused Musical in 2007-08 Season
By Kenneth Jones
A new Old Testament-inspired musical is on the 2007-08 schedule of Theater J, the Washington, D.C. theatre devoted to Jewish voices, artistic director Ari Roth announced.
The world premiere musical about King David, David in Shadow and Light, commissioned by Theater J together with the Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity, will bow May 6-June 22, 2008. |
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Shlomo Gronich : A Concert of New Biblical Music
Shlomo Gronich, a most prolific and versatile musician, is considered to be among the pillars of Israeli music. He is acclaimed in Israel & internationally for his numerous multi-cultural projects: The Sheba Choir of Ethiopian youth, A Concert for Two Grand Pianos with Leonid Petashka, Touching Heaven - Klezmer Music - with Hanan Bar-Sela, "Adamei" Ensemble with Lubna Salama, and others. |
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The Bible on Stage : Book Of Judges ( Chapter 13-16 )
1 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord: and he delivered them into the hands of the Philistines forty years. 2 Now there was a certain man of Saraa, and of the race of Dan, whose name was Manue, and his wife was barren. 3 And an angel of the Lord appeared to her, and said: Thou art barren and without children: but thou shalt conceive and bear a son |
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'Moses' A Gigantic Musical Dance Production Premieres at the Tel Aviv [ 2.6.07 ]
'Moses', an original musical dance show, based on the biblical Moses, the man and leader, by Oren Haleli, will premiere in a huge production with 170 dancers, singers, and musicians on Saturday night 2.6.07 at the Tel Aviv Culture Hall. 'Moses', the unique brainchild of Oren Haleli, deals with current events, and focuses on the search and on important questions, including: Who and what is a true leader? Which traits do leaders need? All these questions are asked via the character that is Moses f |
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Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat on Beit Zvi Stage Tel Aviv
By Ben-Ami Feingold
"Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" by Lloyd Webber (1973) is a charming musical. I saw it a dozen times, in different versions, here and in London, and each time I enjoy it anew. As it's known, the musical is based on the story of Joseph and his brothers. It has great texts and a melodious rhythm, where each part constitutes a type of parody of a familiar light style of music, like French chanson or American rock. |
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Jewish Folk Lore or transmigration of the soul
By Joseph Adler
The supernatural is the night sky of our minds, the shadow side of our mental daylight of reason and hard facts. Like the night, it contains mystery, beauty, enchantment and horror. Indeed the supernatural has had a powerful attraction throughout human existence. Thus it is not surprising to find that alongside Judaism’s concentration on Halachah (Hebrew for “law”) there was a constant elaboration of what one may call superstition. Such “stories” frequently incorporated ideas and practices that |
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The Ghost of Purim Past
By Jeffrey Goldberg
THREE years ago, while visiting Tehran, I was introduced to a charmless man named Muhammad Ali Samadi, who, I was told, would parse for me the Iranian theocracy's peculiar understanding of Judaism and Zionism. Mr. Samadi said that Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, held no brief for anti-Semitism. Then, a moment later, he deployed an epidemiological metaphor to explain the role of Jews in history. "There are always infections and diseases in man," he said. "In the world there is an i |
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Purim celebration
Certain fast- and feast-days specially observed in some Jewish communities, in imitation of the national Purim, to commemorate deliverance from some danger which threatened either a whole community or an individual family. At the celebration of these anniversaries a Hebrew megillah (scroll), giving a detailed account of the event commemorated, is read in the synagogue or in the family circle, certain special prayers are recited, and business is suspended for the day. Quite a number of such Purim |
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In The Gardens of Eden : Marc Chagall Biblical Scenes
This exhibition presents works by one of the 20th century's most outstanding artists - Marc Chagall. The pieces on view derive from the Marc Chagall Museum in Vitebsk, an institution that opened a few years ago. The exhibit consists of a collection of seventy-two prints (lithographs, aquatints and etchings) on religious subjects, produced by the artist between 1931 and 1979. Exhibition organized as part of the 14TH FESTIVAL OF JEWISH CULTURE IN KRAKOW |
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Samson and Dalila at The Mariinsky Theatre St Petersburg
By George Loomis
The Mariinsky Theatre is no centre of French opera but for the season's first new production it chose Saint-Saëns's Samson et Dalila, thereby paying tribute both to its star mezzo, Olga Borodina, who has made the role her own the world over, and to the work itself, which apparently fired Valery Gergiev's imagination when he led a concert performance last summer in Salzburg. |
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David Kossoff :Character actor, Bible-interpreter and passionate campaigner against the drugs (1919-2005)
THERE were three lives of David Kossoff — the actor, the Bible commentator and the evangelist. In a way all three were very closely connected, although his work with the Bible had practically nothing to do with his evangelism — which, in turn, was disconnected from any kind of conventional religious practice. But perhaps because of that fact, it turned into a religious experience more sincere than many garbed in tradition. His evangelism was a one-man effort — to call it a one-man show almost be |
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White Fire: Jewish Theatre and the Midrash
By Edward Einhorn
According to the Zohar, The Torah was written with black fire upon white fire. The black fire is the written word. The white fire is midrash. The midrashim are commentaries, sometimes in the form of laws and interpretations, and very often in the form of aggadic midrash—stories that expand on the writings. For example, The Haggadah, as you can tell from the name, is one long aggadic midrash. It also is part of a long tradition that stretches into contemporary Jewish theater—exploring the world o |
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Royal Flush : A new film reinvents Queen Esther as the very first Bachelorette
By Sara Ivry
Sukkot is just barely over but Purim's in the air, thanks to the release of One Night With the King, an epic example of unintentional shlock—with shots of broad desert landscapes, thunderous waterfalls, and an ever-so British narrator to remind us of the gravity of history—which opened last Friday across the country. A press release about the production from Fox Faith, a subsidiary of 20th Century Fox which makes "morally-driven, family friendly programming," states that One Night wants to "insp |
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The Bible: The Complete Word Of God at The Criterion Theatre -London
The members of the alternative RSC(The Reduced Shakespeare Company) found a book in a hotel room and went on to create their third show, which squeezes all of The Bible into a couple of hours. This brand new production includes the best bits from both testaments and even promises to save you from damnation |
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What If Abraham Sacrificed Isaac Anyway?
By Menachem Wecker
Behold! It came to pass, after those things occurred, that Abraham was tested. And he and his only son, Isaac – whom, incidentally, he loved – set out towards the mountain range of Moriah. There, they built an altar and set up the branches, and Abraham shackled Isaac. And Abraham raised his arm – wholly ready to plunge the blade through his son’s throat to offer him as a sacrifice to G-d. Everyone knows the rest of the story; now is the part where the angel stops Abraham and says, effectively, " |
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Biblical Theater Laboratory founded in Moscow
By Talya Halkin
After enrolling in the prestigious Moscow Theater Academy, Grisha Tseltzer founded the Biblical Theater Laboratory, a group whose eclectic composition includes professional theater people, would-be actors, and students of Jewish philosophy, among others. The group's director is Boris Yochananov, whose star shone with the rise of a new Russian avant-guard during Perestroika and faded with its subsequent demise. A year and a half ago, Tseltzer was also involved in publishing an anthology of Jewish |
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Emanuel Luftglas : Figures from the Bible on early Israeli Stage
By Alik Mishori
When he was 13 years old, a German art patron saw his paintings and presuaded Luftglas parents to permit their son to move to Germany and study art. Luftglas attended art school in Leipzig, later completeing his studies in theatrical design in Buxdehude School. In 1915, at the age of 19 years old, he obtained his first contract from the Royal Opera House in Hamburg. In 1925 he returned to Poland, joined the Zionist movement and in 1926 he immigrated to Palestine. |
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World premiere recording Kurt Weill's (1900-1950) The Eternal Road
By Neil W. Levin
The original 1937 English version was newly edited, and further reconstructive choices, relying on restored or new orchestrations, were made. The recording was done in Berlin in November 2001, with Gerard Schwarz conducting the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, the Ernst Senff Chorus, and the Children's Chorus of the German Radio. Constance Hauman, Barbara Rearick, Hana Wollschläger, Ian DeNolfo, Carl Dent, Vale Rideout, Ted Christopher, and James Maddalena covered the numerous solo vocal roles |
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The Biblicle Road - a play (1926-1927) by Arnold Schoenberg
Thirty years after Theodor Herzl articulated his vision of a Jewish state "an attempt at a modern solution of the Jewish problem" Arnold Schoenberg gave final form to a theatrical piece he had labored on for many years, his own "attempt at a modern solution of the Jewish problem." In his drama, which he did not intend to turn into an opera, although he sketched some music for an introductory piece, Schoenberg envisaged the return of the Jews to the land God had promised them. Their
return would |
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So Sarah laughed to herself :Two Israeli plays from the 1990s examine the myth of Sarah
By Dan Urian
Sarah "our Mother", wife of Abraham, the "father of the Hebrew nation", is mentioned in the sources: in the Bible, the Talmud, the Midrashim and in the Legends - but always by the side of her husband and subservient to him. Like other female biblical figures she too "appears on stage only when she is of an age to marry and her term of stay is generally determined only for as long as her status as a mother affects that of her son [for] biblical mothers simply disappear from the narrative the mome |
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