The theater has been at serious risk of shutting down for almost a year since before the coronavirus pandemic, with debts having reached NIS 100 million.
By TAMAR URIEL-BEERIHabima Theater 150(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
The Habima Theater will be managed by the Tel Aviv Municipality, the president of the Tel Aviv District Court, Judge Eitan Orenstein, ruled on Thursday, approving an arrangement between the two parties.According to the agreement, a new municipal corporation will be formulated to operate the theater.The theater has been at serious risk of shutting down for almost a year since before the coronavirus pandemic, with debts having reached NIS 100 million.“Habima’s show, which began in Moscow in 1917, continues for generations,” said Habima Theater CEO Noam Semel in a statement following the announcement. “The reasoned ruling expresses Habima’s status as Israel’s national theater.”Semel further stated that the latest proceedings prove that “Habima’s show must go on.”When the Habima crisis began, famed actress Gila Almagor had cried out to save the theater’s actors. “The theater is its actors, it’s the workers of Habimah; and without us, there is nothing,” said Almagor. “Should we go out with hats to the public square to collect money? What is this?”In July, the theater released a commemorative video featuring some of Israel’s most prominent celebrities recognizing the role of the world of theater in society, even amid the limiting coronavirus pandemic. In it, various actors, sing about the merits of theater, including the preparations needed to make a play happen and the rush actors feel once they go up on the stage to portray their character for the night as well as the audience’s most positive reactions to such plays.The agreement was formulated by Habima trustees, including Dorit Levy-Tiller and Chen Berdichev, who were appointed as temporary trustees in November 2019.A number of creditors who had previously complained about the proposed arrangement had, in the few days leading up to the decision by Orenstein, rescinded their complaints.Yonah Jeremy Bob, Omri Ron contributed to this report.
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