The One My Soul Loves
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| The One My Soul Loves | |
|---|---|
 Hebrew-language original poster | |
| Written by | Itai Segal |
| Date premiered | 25 December 2021 |
| Place premiered | Habima Theatre |
| Original language | Hebrew |
| Subject | Tel Aviv gay centre shooting conversion therapy |
| Genre | Drama |
| Setting | Israel |
The One My Soul Loves (Hebrew: את שאהבה נפשי) is a play by Israeli playwright and writer Itai Segal, which premiered at the Habima Theatre on 25 December 2021. It was brought together by Habima and Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality’s “Future of the Theater” project.[1]
The play was inspired by the Tel Aviv gay centre shooting in a youth bar and also deals with conversion therapy, homophobia and hate crimes. The cast also traveled overseas to perform the play at theatre festivals in Cyprus and Romania.
The play includes the actors Amit Rahav, Daniel Litman, Orly Silbersatz Banai, Yadin Gellman and Naya Bienstock.[2]
A Modern Orthodox mother, Dvori (Silbersatz Banai) receives a late-night call about her 17-year-old son, Yehonatan (Rahav/Arenson/Mosheiov). He is in a hospital bed in Central Israel, seriously injured from wounds he sustained from the Tel Aviv gay centre shooting at Bar Noar.
Yehonatan is unconscious and his mother does not understand what her presumably heterosexual was doing at Bar Noar. He unwittingly has to come out to his family once he is conscious. His father, Aharon (Sade/Geva) is accepting of his son's sexuality. However, Dvori refuses to accept the truth and convinces Yehonatan to undergo conversion therapy.[2][1]
Cast
- Amit Rahav/Avraham Arenson/Ran Mosheiov as Yehonatan
- Daniel Litman/Yadin Gellman as Adam
- Yigal Sade/Danny Geva as Aharon
- Orly Silbersatz Banai as Dvori
- Naya Bienstock as Tamar
- Uri Hochman/Oded Leopold as Rabbi
- Amos Buaron/Nadav Shama as Policeman
- Amit Zittoun/Michal Brand as Nurse
- Ofek Zarko, Dor Galula, Yogev Atias, Yoni Kruvi as ensemble
Background
Segal initially envisaged the project as a short film, focusing on a mother in the hospital waiting room after the Noar Bar attack. Upon meeting the director, Moshe Kepten, Segal realized that the forced revelation of the son's sexuality could develop into an expanded story for the theatre.[3] Segal and Kepten were both troubled by the issue of conversion therapy and decided to use it as part of the story around the bar attack.[3]
Set designer, Eran Atzmon uses a minimalist stage set that is largely empty and white. There is a hanging box and video clips are projected onto the white floor. There are four chairs on stage. The aim was for the audience to feel more immersed and active in the play and not to feel too relaxed.[3]