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kilted
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•
By STEVE RAPHAEL
Theater is the national pastime
of Israel. At least this is the im -
pression one gets on talking with
of
theda Is t rael
er 's foremost
yirnic o t
aun apc o o av f
the theater, pbe
lay
Orland_
fin i shing e
month's stay at the Jewish Center
Feb_ 4, where he is serving as
resident director. He will perform
similar tanks in other cities until
May, when he returns to Israel.
"Israeli theater is as diverse and
exciting as any theater in the
world," said the 57-year-old actor.
"We perform. Greek tragedy, the
classics, comedy. We perform all
of the modern great playwrights—
Miller, Brecht, Ibsen, Albee and
the existentialists."
Orland knows of what be
speaks. Born in Russia, he has
lived in Israel since 1921. He
was educated at the Hebrew
University, the University of
London and the Royal Academy
of Dramatic Arts also in London.
Not only is he a playwright, but
a director, producer, poet and
lyricist. In 1963 he was' awarded
Israel's highest award for liter-
ature, the Lamdan Prize.
Orland has written and directed
a play, "The Man Behind the
Legend," the story of Theodor
Herzl, that is touring Jewish com-
munity center theaters throughout
the country. He based his work on
the writings of Herzl.
Orland lectures on literature and
dramatic arts for the Hebrew
University and the government's
department of culture. He also is
with the Haifa Municipal theater
company; Orland describes this
job . as the "artistic repertoire
consultant." •
But there is more to Israeli the-
ater than merely performing the
works of great playwrights. The
companies are'equipped to do, and
have done, modern, innovative
theater along the lines of a Peter
Brooks or a Tom O'Horgan.
Brooks' "Marat de Sade" was re-
cently performed there.
In addition to the more estab-
lished, "straight" theater, there is
the Arab theater in Haifa that has
burgeoned in Israel for the same
reasons that black theater has
grown in America. The Arab the-
ater does plays written and per-
formed by Arabs for Arab audi-
ences. However, the director is
Jewish.
Also, there is theater per-
farmed on kibutzim--by and for
knout: members. There is Army
theater, again performed by and
for the Israeli army. And just in
case, somehow or some way an
Israeli can't attend a perform.
ance, the theater goes to the
people: "We bring theater to
the bordering villages," Orland
said.
"Out of a potential theater popu-
lation of 2,000,000 people, there
was attendance of over 3,000,000
last year," Orland continued,
What themes predominate?
Orland explained: "Young people
are very much involved in theater
here, and the themes that they
like dominate. Life and death is
on the alert 24 hours a day. The
father of an 18-year-old son who
enters the army next week," he
add.xl, "but we need peace like
we need fresh air."
It is when discussing the differ-
ences between American and Is-
raeli theater that Orland shows
any anger. He dislikes American
commercialism and bigness and
feels that this is reflected in
American theater. "Americans
can't stand the truth and aren't
prepared for it—this is all ex-
pressed in their theater.
"Pygmalion isn't good enough
for Americans, they have to have
`My Fair Lady.' George Bernard
Shaw might have turned over in
•
his grave'if he had seen that play."
Turning to the American, Movie
Production of 'Fiddler on the Roof'
Orland said, "Fiddler' is Shalom
Aleichem like I am Mao Tse
Tung."
He prefers government sub-
sidized Israeli theater, where the
performers can do what they want
to do and the audience is more
responsive. "American college
theater," he--said, "is similar to
Israeli theater in this respect."
Orland is here through the -ef-
forts of the National Jewish Wel-
fare Board, working in conjunction
with American Jewish Community
Centers. Orland sees his role as
a way of promoting better under-
standing between American and
Israeli Jews.
It is a beeline schedule for a
busy man,, but Orland summed
up in - an anecdote just how he,
and all Israelis, are able to find
the time to do the many things
they do.
When visiting American cam-
12-404**weat
puses in 1969 (his only other visit
to the U.S.) he V was lecturing at
Cornell University when an Arab
student asked hint how Israelis
have time to get involved in the
ater when they are always shoot-
ing guns.
"I told him," Orland said, "that
you can't constantly be shooting a
gun, you must stop and reload it.
When we reload our guns, this is
when we translate Shakespeare."
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is to have leisure to bother about
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George Bernard Shaw.
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