Igor Oshorov reacts to getting a strike while bowling at Harvard Lanes, March 30. He along with other actors and members of the Nalaga’at Theatre Troupe of Tel Aviv, the world’s only professional deaf-blind ensemble, are staying at Friendly Crossways in Harvard while they peform in “Not by Bread Alone” at the Paramount Mainstage in Boston, April 2-6. (Photo by Lisa Aciukewicz)
An Israeli acting troupe, the Nalaga’at Deaf-Blind Acting Ensemble, has been staying at the Friendly Crossways Retreat Center in Harvard while performing a week of shows at the Paramount Center in Boston from April 1 through April 6.
The ensemble has been performing the play “Not by Bread Alone,” in which the actors, who are both deaf and blind, bake bread live on stage. Throughout the baking process, the 11 participating actors share stories from their lives and talk about their hopes and dreams. Each actor has an interpreter who translates and verbalizes the stories for the audience. The Nalaga’at Deaf-Blind Acting Ensemble is the only one in the world whose cast members are both deaf and blind.
Swiss-born stage director Adina Tal conceived the play in 2007. She began working with the actors in 1999 in what was supposed to be a two-month acting workshop. However, the workshop quickly evolved into a full-fledged acting company, and Tal has been working with the same actors for the past 15 years. All 11 actors in “Not by Bread Alone” were a part of that original workshop.
A scene from “Not by Bread Alone.” (Courtesy photo)
On how she came up with the idea of baking bread on stage, Tal said, “I was looking for commonality between the actors and the audience, and I thought that baking bread was something that everyone can understand. Bread also has deep cultural meaning to many people. And importantly, making bread gives us the opportunity to invite the audience onto the stage after the show to meet with the cast and share the bread with us.”
Since the actors cannot see or hear the audience, this tradition of meeting with the audience after the show gives the actors a chance to connect with the spectators.
Tal said that the hardest part of working with deaf-blind actors is forming the initial line of communication. It took years for Tal to be able to fully communicate with her actors.
Boston is the third and final stop on the Nalaga’at Acting Ensemble’s American tour. In the previous weeks, the group has performed in Cleveland, Ohio, and Washington, D.C.
Local stops: Kimball’s
and the Perkins School
In their free time, the acting troupe is making the most of its trip to Massachusetts. The group arrived in Harvard on Thursday, March 27, and has participated in a variety of local activities. The group enjoyed some ice cream at Kimball Farm and was amazed at the length of the line and the large size of the portions. The group also visited Perkins School for the Blind, where Helen Keller was educated.
Albert Moiseev (left) gives Bat-sheva Revensari some bowling pointers as Shmuel Haberman watches. (Photos by Lisa Aciukewicz)
Nalaga’at interpreter Lolita Mirson was particularly excited to be in Harvard and in the United States in general. Mirson, who was born in Ukraine and moved to Israel when she was 7, said that the town reminds her of her home in Ukraine because there is nature all around. The young interpreter had been dreaming of coming to America since she was a little girl, and this current tour is her first opportunity to visit here.
In Israel all citizens have to serve in the military after they turn 18 unless they have an exemption. Mirson decided to take one of these exemptions and began working for the Nalaga’at Theatre two years ago. The job was perfect for Lolita because she has a lot of theater in her background. Her older sister acted in Ukraine, and Lolita spent a lot of time backstage. She also worked for a theater company in her hometown for five years.
At first, Mirson mainly did maintenance work, but after she worked with the group for a short while, some of the deaf workers started teaching her sign language, and after six months she became fluent.
Mirson is now an interpreter, which means that she spends most of the day by the side of one of the actors, helping him or her go through basic daily tasks. “The work is very tiring sometimes, and it can drive you crazy,” she told the Press, “but then you remember why you’re doing all of it and you feel good.”
Seeking a
‘country of opportunity’
Mirson plans on working with Andina Tal and the theater company for a while longer and then wants to move to the United States. She said, “I know that this sounds cliché, but America really is a country of opportunity, and it is my dream to move here someday.”
Friendly Crossways Retreat Center is the oldest continuously run hostel in America and has been open since 1947. Current owners Mary Helan and Keith Turner bought the place from Mary Helan’s parents in 1996 and have been running it ever since.
The hostel has always been a place for nonprofit groups to stay. When Mary Helan and Keith first bought the building they considered making it into a corporate, high-profit business, but once they saw how they were helping the nonprofit groups that stayed there, they decided to stick with the hostel’s original mission.
Mary Helan said that hosting the Nalaga’at Deaf-Blind Acting Ensemble has been a wonderful experience. She does not know how to sign, but she is trying to learn a bit while they are here. She is also enjoying trying some new recipes and cooking some Israeli food for her guests.
