I recently had the pleasure of seeing a reading of Motti Lerner's At Night's End as presented by Israeli Stage. This was one of the most profound theatrical commentaries of the long term effects of war on individuals, families, and society at large that I have seen in a very long time. The structure of the piece reminded me quite a bit of the work of Eugene O'Neill, though the translation and direction somehow managed to maintain the rhythms of Israeli Hebrew. The playwright was there to take questions and comments (I understood that the play itself is still in development).
The play is set in Haifa during the recent Lebanon war and rockets and shelling are a constant factor. At the center of the play was a very powerful and disturbing portrayal of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The subject matter has great relevance to our own society right now with so many American soldiers returning from wars overseas.
I hope to see a full production of this play in the near future. We see so much of Israel on the news, and yet for a country that is in our public consciousness so much, we as Americans do not get a whole lot of exposure to Israeli arts.
The play is set in Haifa during the recent Lebanon war and rockets and shelling are a constant factor. At the center of the play was a very powerful and disturbing portrayal of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The subject matter has great relevance to our own society right now with so many American soldiers returning from wars overseas.
I hope to see a full production of this play in the near future. We see so much of Israel on the news, and yet for a country that is in our public consciousness so much, we as Americans do not get a whole lot of exposure to Israeli arts.
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