«Habimah» is the oldest theatre of Israel. In 2017, it will celebrate 100 years since its establishment. Its official chronicle started in 1917, when Khabima Studio was established in affiliation with the Moscow Art Theatre. However, the story of the first in Russia company performing in Hebrew had started a few years earlier, when Naum Zemach organized several amateur theatres in Belostok and, later on, in Vilnius. In 1926, Habimah left Moscow and went on a European tour; in 1928, the troupe arrived in the Palestinian lands and established the theatre which had become the first national permanent theatre in Israel later on. Since 2011, Habimah works on a new stage built for it in Tel-Aviv. However, its performances tour around all Israel regions on regular basis. The theatre dedicates its activities to the development and preservation of Hebrew and Jewish culture, safeguarding of the collective memory and formation of the country’s identity. Typical national aspirations and dilemmas find their expressions in its productions after modern and world classic dramas. On regular basis, Habimah represents Israel at the leading international theatre festivals. In various years, such prominent directors as Victor Garcia, Yury Lyubimov, Andrzei Wajda, Jérôme Savary, Robert Sturua, Steven Berkoff had worked with the theatre company. In 1990, the theatre “had accomplished its historical return to the Moscow stage” with its performances Sunset by Isaac Babel and Spotty Tiger by Iakov Shabtai.
At the X International Alexandrinsky Festival, the Habimah National Theatre will present its performance after Jean-Baptiste Moliére’s play The Miser (September 20 and 21, 19.00; Major Stage of the Alexandrinsky Theatre).
