After its opening night performance, an audience member commented, ‘This is exactly what we need at a time like this.’
By Shula Rosen, United with Israel
After ten months of war, many Israelis are seeking a diversion from the endless troubling headlines.
In Jerusalem, a theater troupe brings one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies to an outdoor space to cheer the public during these difficult times.
Theater in the Rough, directed by Beth Steinberg and her son Natan Skop, is in its 13th year of bringing Shakespeare performances in English to Bloomfield Gardens in Jerusalem.
Opening night on Wednesday the 14th saw over a hundred people gather in the park, with one audience member commenting after that the Shakespearian comedy was not only accessible but was “exactly what we need at a time like this.”
This isn’t the first time Theater in the Rough has performed Shakespeare in the shadow of war; in 2014, during Operation Protective Edge in Gaza, the troupe performed the delightful “Midsummer Night’s Dream” to enthusiastic audiences seeking a respite from the pressures of the conflict.
Last year, Theater in the Rough performed Julius Caesar, a play about war and internal conflict and was looking for something in a lighter vein for audiences post October 7th.
Director Beth Steinberg told the Jerusalem Post, “It’s a tragedy. Caesar dies. There’s war and mayhem. We weren’t going to do war and mayhem this year.”
“As You Like It feels like it’s about nothing,” Steinberg said. “You know, people run into the forest, there’s women dressing up as men, there’s sheep… all that kind of stupid stuff,” Steinberg said. “And yet, as always, it’s about relationships.”
Co-director Natan Skop commented, “These layers are there for people who are interested in seeing them.”
“You can come to the show and just be like, ‘Yeah, I want to see people falling in love and doing silly things.’ That’s also good,” he added.
The Bloomfield Gardens performances will take place at 5:30 p.m. on the following dates: August 14, 15, 18, 21, 22, 25, 26, 28. The special seated performance at the Jerusalem Museum of Natural History will take place on August 27 at 6 p.m.