The streets are alive with the sound of theater
On Purim, when the streets of Jerusalem turn into a major costume ball, and city residents gather to hear the Book of Esther read in their local synagogues, the Poy-ke Theater Troupe will be taking the story to a new level, bringing the Book of Esther to life with a street theater performance at the Baka Community Center.
Bringing history to life is what Poy-ke does best. The street theater troupe was founded in 2006 by a group of Jerusalemites who had been working as tour guides and wanted to take the guiding experience to the next level, bringing Israel's ancient history to life with street theater performances relating to Israel's rich history.
"When you do street theater, as opposed to conventional theater on a stage, the performance is more alive, more interactive," actor Ran Yehoshua explains to GoJerusalem.com. "The community, the audience, becomes part of the theater, part of the stage. Also, the intensity of being 'in the field,' of acting out a story where it actually happened, is so much stronger than in a standard theater performance."
This is especially true in Jerusalem, with its rich and storied history. Although the group now performs throughout the country, Jerusalem retains a special place in their hearts.
"In many places, everything is so new, but here in Jerusalem, we're performing in places, in houses, that people have lived in for hundreds of years. Here, there is the history of King David, the history of the Turks in a neighborhood grocery store. We don't have to invent the history here - it's all around," explains Yehoshua.
"We once did a show about the Palmach [pre-state defense organization] in the Jewish Quarter, and while we were performing, a seniors group walked past and stopped to watch. At one point, we noticed that two or three people were crying - they had been fighters in the Palmach - and when we finished our show, they began singing the Palmach anthem."
The Purim performance is set to begin at 9:30 am on Sunday, February 28th and is open to the general public.
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