Gaza 17
By Shay Lahav & Johnny Zicholts
The Cameri Theatre
Tel Aviv, Israel
2008
5 young friends from Haifa, who know each other for years, are recruited to the IDF when they reach 18.
The "Intifada" had just begun, and so - they are sent to the front line in Gaza to take part in the military routine in the Palestinian territories.
The group feels smart enough to enlist for a special mission (A real 'treat' in military terms): setting up an observation post on the tallest building in Gaza strip: Observation Post "Gaza 17" – on the top of the 17th floor.
The posting period planned for the group (a short week of sun-tanning) is extended again and again, turning the soldiers frustrated and upset.
The small space, the noisy elevator room, the Sun heated water tanks, the tall antenna and the friction with the Palestinian residents – expose the complicated relationships among the group, and turns the roof into a microcosm of the Israeli society.
A daring play that mirrors the way soldiers used to see the conflict in the early days of the "Intifada".
CREDITS
Directed by: Noam Shmuel
Set Design: Zeev Levy
Music: Eyall Weiss
Lighting: Yechiel Orgal
Video: Noam Shmuel
AD: Anna Baniel
CAST
Yoav Levy
Pini Tavgar
Ido Rosenberg
Roy Assaf
Yaniv Biton