Hazira

Hazira (Hebrew: הזירה, "The Arena"; formally Hazira – Interdisciplinary Arena) is an Israeli theater and production house based in Jerusalem, dedicated to original creation in contemporary performance and theater. It brings together artists from a wide range of disciplines — theater, performance, dance, visual art, sound, experimental music, and media — and is recognized in Israel and abroad as a dynamic production house that invests its resources in developing original, high-quality artistic languages. Its repertoire typically includes around 15 original productions that run throughout a season, which opens with the "Autumn Cult" festival in October and continues until the end of July. Hazira was founded in 1999 as an evolution of the theater "HaBama" (1989), which was established by Mario Kotliar and Hadas Ophrat alongside the Train Theater and the School of Visual Theater in Jerusalem. The founders envisioned an artistic space striving for freedom of thought by blurring the boundaries between art disciplines. For most of its history Hazira operated without a permanent hall, performing in various venues and spaces in Jerusalem, across Israel, and abroad. In 2019 it converted the old cinema halls of the "Rav Chen" complex in Talpiot into a central theater hall, alongside galleries, a studio, a workshop, an electronics lab, a sewing workshop, a studio-recording room, storerooms, offices, and a fablab. The cultural complex was inaugurated in September 2020 with the support of the Jerusalem Municipality. Hazira operates as an avant-garde interdisciplinary theater. It provides a stage for original and personal content, supports emerging artists, and pursues high professional and artistic standards. Its repertoire includes original theater productions produced by Hazira, adopted and supported theater productions, dance productions, music, video art, poetry, and performance. It also runs festivals such as "Kola Shel HaMilim" (The Voice of the Word), "Zirat Machol" (Dance Arena), and "Leilot Kayitz" (Summer Nights). The organization is supported by the Culture Administration of the Ministry of Culture and Sport, the Culture Department of the Jerusalem Municipality, the Jerusalem Foundation, and the Mifal HaPais Council for Culture and Arts.

Hazira was originally founded as "HaBama" in 1989, within the framework of the Association for the Promotion of Interdisciplinary Theater, on the initiative of Mario Jorge Kotliar and Hadas Ophrat, alongside the Train Theater and the School of Visual Theater (which they also co-founded). It initially operated in an industrial building on Yad Harutzim Street in the Talpiot industrial area, which it shared with the Sam Spiegel School of Film and Television and the Nissan Nativ Acting Studio. Original productions were staged there, and the venue also hosted various cultural events. Among the first productions at HaBama were "Al Mita VeMitot" (On a Bed and Myths), directed by Mario Kotliar as part of the Jerusalem Theater Group, combining theater, song, movement, and storytelling about women in the Talmud; and "Yomyomit" (Daily), a chamber opera by composer Kiki Keren-Huss. In 1999, "Hazira – Interdisciplinary Arena" was founded as an evolution of the HaBama theater. In 2002, it moved most of its activities to the Jerusalem Khan complex, but kept offices on HaRakavim Street in Talpiot, which included a rehearsal room and the "Venta" gallery that displayed rotating monthly exhibitions of Jerusalem artists. In 2019, after operating without a permanent hall throughout its history, Hazira converted the old cinema halls of the "Rav Chen" complex in Talpiot into a central theater hall, alongside galleries, a studio, a workshop, an electronics lab, a sewing workshop, storerooms, and offices. The initiative began when an artists' cooperative approached the owner of the abandoned complex, businessman Rami Levy, to organize cultural activity there during the summer. The project later received the sponsorship of the Jerusalem Municipality, and the complex was renovated as an urban cultural center inaugurated in September 2020. Hazira operates as an avant-garde interdisciplinary theater. As such, it provides a stage for original and personal content, supports artists at the beginning of their careers, and strives for high professional and artistic standards by any measure. Its repertoire includes original theater productions produced by Hazira, theater productions adopted and supported by Hazira, dance productions, music, video art, poetry, and performance. During its regular annual activity, the organization has staged several festivals: "Kola Shel HaMilim" (The Voice of the Word), a festival in memory of Mario Kotliar dealing with the written word and its expression in interdisciplinary art; "Zirat Machol" (Dance Arena), bringing dance premieres by choreographers at the beginning of their careers alongside established and veteran choreographers; and "Leilot Kayitz" (Summer Nights), a music festival that has hosted dozens of independent creators, mainly in the field of electronic music and multimedia from Israel and around the world. Hazira works to promote interdisciplinary performance art, initiates new original productions, encourages and nurtures talented artists with exceptional artistic language, strives for high artistic quality and excellence in each of its fields of activity, and is at the heart of cultural and artistic discourse. The association believes that despite and because of the complex political-economic-social situation, art is of supreme importance, connected to the history of time and place but not bound by historical laws of creation. Hazira sees itself as a home for original creators who meet this challenge, and aspires to develop and open up to new possibilities of encounter with audiences. Thus the theater constitutes an arena for a living encounter between cultural poles, aspiring to create an active community of artists connected to the vibrant reality in Israel. These goals are reflected in Hazira's repertoire — each production has its own unique stage language, each production communicates differently; but their common denominator is innovation, the delicate, the blunt — that quality and elusive connection between form and content. Thus Hazira flies in all kinds of directions, with youthful audacity that respects tradition, and within that dizzying artistic diversity, does not forget to reach out to its audience, because without it the journey is not worth even the first step. The regular productions running at Hazira include: "HaDerech LeEin Harod" (The Road to Ein Harod) by Zvi Sahar; "HaHefech MeHai" (The Opposite of Life) by Michal Vaknin and Ilanit Ben Yaakov; "Keleva Tova Yerushalayim" (Good Bitch Jerusalem) by Hila Golan; "Kofim" (Monkeys) by Amit Drori; "Mikach Ota Tnua" (Taking That Movement) by Mika Koppfer; "Olamot" (Worlds), a Canaanite-futurist song cycle by Anna Wild; "Kushlirbak" by Nurit Drimer; and "Beit HaSefer LeMizug Avir Non Tropo" (Non-Tropo Weather School) by Guy Gutman. Directors of Hazira: Mario Jorge Kotliar until 1999, Hadas Ophrat until 2002, Gili Shanit until 2007, Doron Tavori and Guy Biran until 2009, Guy Biran until 2017, and as of 2021, Amit Drori. Hazira is supported by: the Culture Administration of the Ministry of Culture and Sport, the Culture Department of the Jerusalem Municipality, the Jerusalem Foundation, and the Mifal HaPais Council for Culture and Arts.

• 2020

  Cultural complex inaugurated in September with support from the Jerusalem Municipality.

• 2019

  Converted old Rav Chen cinema halls in Talpiot into a central theater hall and cultural complex.

• 2002

  Moved most activities to the Jerusalem Khan complex.

• 1999

  "Hazira – Interdisciplinary Arena" founded as an evolution of HaBama.

• 1989

  Founded as "HaBama" theater by Mario Kotliar and Hadas Ophrat.

Avant-garde interdisciplinary theater and production house for original contemporary performance.

• HaDerech LeEin Harod

• HaHefech MeHai

• Keleva Tova Yerushalayim

• Kofim

• Mikach Ota Tnua

• Olamot

• Kushlirbak

• Beit HaSefer LeMizug Avir Non Tropo

1. 1Official websitehazira.org.il
2. 2About – Hazirahazira.org.il
3. 3Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Hebrew Wikipediahe.wikipedia.org