Deaf-Blind Theater Group

One of the important therapeutic achievements of the Deaf-Blind Center has been the establishment of a theater group consisting entirely of deaf-blind people. This group created the theatrical performance “Hearing Light in ZigZag”, and has received many accolades.

Today, the group performs within the framework of the Na LaGaat (“Please Touch”) theater organization.

When, in 1999, the idea first arose to create a theater group at the Deaf-Blind Center, it was considered completely unrealistic. But Chaim Fuchs, director of the Beth David organization, managed to convince his colleagues to attempt the project on an experimental basis.

Two directors were hired for the project – Rena Padwa and Adina Tal, who were already leading a theater group for a group of developmentally disabled women at the Beth David residence in Mevaseret Zion. The directors invited all members of the Beth David social groups to sign up for a theater workshop.

A group of 15 people began rehearsing, working in two groups with the assistance of six sign-language interpreters. The two groups came together on a weekly basis at a school not far from Helen Keller House, home of the Deaf-Blind Center.

From the beginning, it was clear that it would not be possible simply to take a text and work with it. Rena and Adina came up with the idea that the actors should tell about their dreams and present them to the audience. After nearly a year of work, the premier performance was ready to go on stage in front of an audience.

The premier performance was set for Friday, July 18, 2000 in a Tel Aviv auditorium. As the date drew closer, the performers, directors and staff of the Deaf-Blind Center grew increasingly nervous and excited.

Tel Aviv mayor Ron Huldai agreed to be the guest of honor and the invitations were sent out. A day before the event, 24 Hours, the magazine of the Yediot Aharonot newspaper, published an enthusiastic article about the group, and the Mabat television news broadcast aired a segment about the performance.

On the evening of the performance, the auditorium was packed. The audience didn’t know what to expect, as deaf-blind people and a theater performance didn’t seem to go together. But the results were incredible. When the performance ended, the entire crowd stood and applauded the actions, who were overcome with emotion and very happy.

Throughout 2001-2002, the group performed some 15 times in locations across Israel, becoming more and more professional. In those days, the Center’s social workers, Esther Ratner and Sigal Milo handled the marketing and publicity. The group was written up in Haaretz and Maariv, and was featured in a report by Channel 2 news.

Manuela Dviri, who worked with the theater program from the start, established a Friends group. With members who included journalists and public relations professionals the Friends played an important role in advancing the program. The Friends arranged for the Givatayim Theater to host the group in its large theater, and several performances took place there. The Deaf-Blind performance also became part of the repertoire of the “Arts for the People” program.

Throughout 2002, the Beth David organization carried out negotiations with the Welfare Ministry’s department of services for the blind in attempts to have the theater recognized as a vocational framework, but this endeavor was not successful. The high cost of the weekly rehearsals and the performances severely strained the organization’s budget and delayed the implementation of other rehabilitative services and programs for deaf-blind Israelis.

At the end of 2002, after an extremely successful performance at a junior high school in Jaffa, Adina Tal and Eran Gur initiated Na LaGaat (“Please Touch”), a non-profit organization which has operated the theater group ever since.