Spectacle based on the novel Two She-Bears by Meir Shalev
"Two She-Bears came out of the Forest"
SPECTACLE
"Two She-Bears came out of the Forest"
based on the novel Two She-Bears by Meir Shalev
Genre: Drama
Appropriate for age 11+
Duration: 2 hours
Director: Maria de Valukhoff
Meir Shalev is one of the most famous contemporary Israeli writers. The son of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, he tells poignant modern parables about Jewish settlements and draws on plots that are extremely close to the biblical ones. The nostalgia for childhood, roots, atmosphere, which is relevant for all times, will be especially close to the Riga audience. This is the history of a country that many left in the 1990s, and which is remembered with love and quiet sadness.
In the novel Two She-Bears (2013), genuine human passions are seething. The story unfolds like an exciting detective story told from the perspective of a woman who has been given the right to talk about the most intimate experiences.
The plot is based on a story-within-a story technique, a recording of an interview given by the main character Ruta Tavori to a certain researcher who studies the history of Jewish settlements. Ruta is overwhelmed with passions, the most secret layers of her soul are revealed, and tormenting moral questions, implicated in family secrets and crimes, arise in front of the woman.
The production very subtly and sensitively conveys the atmosphere of the novel. Israel's history and modernity are imperceptibly and firmly intertwined with the spirit of biblical antiquity. A family saga, a parable, and a story of retribution for a long-standing sin, striking in its ancient Old Testament power, unfolds on the stage. Before us emerge pictures from the past, alternating with the present. This technique forces us to return to the age-old Pontius Pilate question: "What is truth?" One, the real story of her family, Ruta expounds in an interview, and the other, – a kind of "myth of the Tavori family" – she creates with her diary notes, permeated with ancient legends interpreted in her own way. These two stories meet and conflict with each other, creating a rapid movement of the plot that keeps you in suspense until the last scene.
The creators of the play and actors:
Director: Maria de Valukhoff
Artist: Igor Gurovich
Project cost: 45,000 euros
