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Il teatro delle operazioni: appello del dip. di teatro dell'Università di Haifa

di Avraham Oz
  logo dell'università di Haifa
Data di pubblicazione su web 03/02/2004  
Riceviamo e volentieri pubblichiamo questo appello.

Dear members of Segel-Plus,

Since the discussion regarding the University Theatre and the Dean's one-sided moves to dismiss the University Theatre has been started by others on this forum, let me, as its director until yesterday, clarify the state of affairs for any further reference.

The University Theatre was founded publicly and officially in February 1998 as an inner-Departmental organ, assembling all the already existing production functions of the Department which have operated the productions of the Department since its establishment and approved by the Isreali Commission of Higher Education a year earlier. All its components: production office, technical management, and production budget existed before - what was added was the name (a marketable brand name which has helped us a lot since to establish our productions inthe media and the community and facilitated the marketing of tickets).

All the professional functions of the theatre were from the very beginning filled by the members of the faculty of the Department of Theatre (voluntarily, without any reward or GMUL). Thus the University Theatre serves as the major professional laboratory of the Department, a model of a theatre training the students to operate in all the professional functions, within a well-organized theatre, and put into practice what they study in class and in the vast bibliography regarding the discipline. This is both a creative and pedagogical standard model, existing in most Departments of Theatre in the world, from Tel Aviv to Yale (not, let me say with a deep sigh, on a voluntary basis and without pay, as it is with us).


University of Haifa Theatre


Yesterday, in a one-sided arbitrary move, The Dean of Humanities, Professor Yossi Ben-Artzi, proclaimed the dismantling of the University Theatre (in his own words, "he recognized it as operating successfully until one day he realized it didn't exist", a philosophical distinction too complicated for my simple mind to follow), dismissed its director (myself) and its artistic committee (all senior faculty members), and transferred the responsibility for productions of the Department of Theatre (if such will ever occur) to an appointed Head of Department, a person who (by his own honest admission) has no knowledge of the discipline of theatre. According to the Dean's letter, "the preparations for theatre productions will be made by the Head of Department, by consultation with faculty members."

If this unprecedented procedure of producing theatre is clear to anybody reading this, we all will be grateful to be enlightened as to its detailed operation, never heard of anywhere since 5th century BC Athens to these very days.

Without speculating into the motives or commenting on the procedural aspects of that appointment (previsaged prophetically by Professor Yair Censor only last week on this forum), let me state this, on behalf of all members of faculty who were involved over the years in the work of the University Theatre: we will not cooperate with turning the production procedures in our Department of Theatre into an unprofessional, whimsical, arbitrary and amateur operations, placing the practical work of the Department - of all people - in the hands of an administrator who, by his own admission, has no knowledge whatsoever of the discipline taught by the Department. It negates, counters and ridicules everything the Department of Theatre stands for, or educates its students to study and practice. It counters the artistic and pedagogical vision we have created here in the nine years of the Department's existence. And it has, moreover, no known precedent anywhere in the world. We are very proud with the University Theatre we have created here; we are very proud of its achievements, the highly professional standards its various productions have achieved over the years (including the current one, as all those who already attended it will testify); we take much pride in its connection with the Haifa community, its national and international standing, its vision, and its functioning both on campus and in the community.

And - since I am told it's relevant in the present context - we are proud of being a unique Jewish-Arab theatre, operating from a Department 23% of whose students are Arab and Druze, catering for all sectors of a mixed town such as Haifa. Yes, we are proud in having been pioneers among all drama schools in this country to have produced plays in Arabic, and serve by means of the theatre - the creative discipline we know and operate within - to bridge between cultures, nations, and communities. And we are proud that our graduates, whether Jewish or Arab, see in us their formative home, and we are happy to let them participate in our shows together with our present students to enliven and enhance the cultural activity in the city, And we our proud in the creative model of co-existence we have created here. Come to see Luggage Packers, which is on now, and see how heart-warming is it to see Lana and Hannan and Renin and Amal playing Henia, Bobe, Bianca and Lola, or Amer and Rabia singing, together with Michael, the Jewish prayer for the Dead. And come next week to the Arabic version of the play, in a version especially commissioned from the slim resources of the University Theatre from translator Ala Hlehel, and see how the theatrical vision of Hanoch Levin is spelled out in Arabic, the mother tongue of the group of young actors and actresses we have trained, and still training, to stream a new creative blood in, and invigorate the dream of an Israeli Arab theatre in this troubled region, and in Haifa in the years to come.

Yes, we are very proud of all this, and we think the entire community of the University of Haifa should be proud with such an institution, created through much voluntary work and good will of faculty and students. And no, we will not give a hand to its destruction by an administrative whim or thoughtless university policies. If anyone has ideas how to strengthen the University Theatre in other, more solid and statutory ways, whether senate, faculy council or whatever, we will wholeheartedly cooperate with searching such moves. But in the meantime, we ask all of you to join us in the cry:
Don't let this dream stop!

On behalf of all workers of the University Theatre, faculty and
students,

A. Oz
Professor Avraham Oz
Department of Theatre
University of Haifa
1111 Eshkol Tower
Mount Carmel, 31905 Haifa, Israel
Office Tel +972-4-8240672
Office Fax +972-4-8249714
Email: avitaloz@research.haifa.ac.il

 


 
 
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