Staged on their own

The Holon Women's Festival celebrates female creativity, providing women from different artistic fields the space to exhibit their talents.

By ABIGAIL RADOSZKOWICZ
women theater 88 (photo credit: )
women theater 88
(photo credit: )
The Holon Women's Festival celebrates female creativity, providing women from different artistic fields the space to exhibit their talents. Performances, conferences, installations and exhibitions will fill the Holon Theater halls and nearby venues, Monday through next Friday
Click for upcoming events calendar! This year, the 11th, many of the festival's stages will be taken up by more veteran performers.The tone is set with the premiere here of the Hebrew version of the worldwide hit Menopause: the Musical. Translated by Dan Almagor, the Haifa Theater show is directed by Patty Bender, who's currently working on the London production due to open soon. In the Hebrew version, favorite local tunes substitute for the American boomer songs whose lyrics were adapted for The Change (Wednesday, 8:30 p.m., NIS 65-90). One of the four actresses appearing in Menopause, Osnat Vishinsky, will bring her solo comedy act to the Holon stage, entitled "The Way I Am." Bubbly veteran comedian Rolanda Chagrin will host Dina Or in a comic performance entitled "Just Laughing at Myself." Women in the middle stage of their lives often have more interesting histories than those at the beginning. Super-sized - as well as super-talented - actress/singer Varda Ben-Hur comes to terms with all those who tried to depress her rotund being in her Jerusalem Theater Company musical comedy, "Are You Happy Yet?" (Wednesday at 8:30 and 10 p.m., NIS 40/35). Actress/singer Iris Shriki, on the other hand, puts on a one-woman show entitled "Things You See From There," centered on her journey from secular to religious. (Thursday at 8:30 and 10 p.m., NIS 40-NIS 35). Two acts from abroad are coming. Old Spice Girls, a musical cabaret in Polish featuring three of that country's most well-known actresses singing songs made famous by Marilyn Monroe, Liza Minelli, and yes, the Spice Girls, take center stage next Saturday night (8:30 p.m., NIS 55-80). Latina jazz singer Judy Silvano makes her first Israeli appearance, backed by the Holon Big Band on Thursday evening (8:30 p.m., NIS 65-80). Appropriately for an annual festival held in conjunction with International Women's Day, this year's contains a heavy dollop of international politics. As the trial of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" proceeds in Washingtion, New York Times reporter Judith Miller who featured prominently in the CIA case at its beginning and spent time in jail for refusing to reveal her sources, will be guest of honor at the first of two conferences on women in the media. Al Jazeera TV correspondent Gebara el-Baradari will be among guests from abroad attending the second, which focuses on coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Female representatives of the Jordanian and Egyptian media are also scheduled to attend. (Both on Thursday from 9 a.m.). And to prove that these seasoned women mean business, next Friday morning's conference, featuring leading professionals from all fields, is entitled "Breaking the Glass Ceiling." Call (03) 502-3001/2 for information and tickets.