Habima (‘the stage” in Hebrew) was founded in 1912 in Czarist Russia, where it was the target of antisemitic persecution. The company settled permanently in British Mandate Palestine in 1931; in 1945, its home theater was built in Tel Aviv. Since 1958, when it received the Israel Prize, Habima has been considered the national theater of the State of Israel. It employs 80 actors and 120 other staff members.
Quote: “In January 2012, the theater reopened after four and a half years of renovations. Architect Ram Karmi was commissioned to redesign the historic building. More than NIS 100 million was invested in the makeover, which has added 500 square meters of floor space and three new rehearsal rooms. The building’s four auditoriums were completely rebuilt. Each is a different size and color: Rovina is blue and seats 930 people; Meskin is lavender and seats 320; Bertonov (also known as Bamartef) is green and seats 220; and Habima 4 (formerly known as Heineken) is wood-paneled and seats 170.”
Sources: Wikipedia (introduction and quote)
Learn more about the Habima Theater from Wikipedia. ►
Watch “Habima Square: The Cultural Hub of Tel Aviv” [1:54] Note: no narration. ►
Watch “Israel Music History — String of Israeli Musicals HaBima National Theater” [8:34] Note: The songs are sung in Hebrew. ►
Photo: The Times of Israel
We welcome your comments. Click here.
Amazing Israelis
In Celebration of the Israeli People
