Motti Lerner: Difference between revisions

* ''Kastner'' (1985), A political/historical drama about the negotiations conducted by the Jewish community in Hungary during World War II with Adolf Eichmann, head of the Gestapo Unit 4-B, on rescuing the remnants of European Jewry. Originally produced by the Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv. Also produced by the Heilbronn Theatre, Germany (1988).

* ''Paula'' (1987), A monodrama about Paula Ben-Gurion, the wife of the first prime minister of Israel, in which she questions many of the issues her husband dealt with. Produced by the Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv.

* ''Pangs of the Messiah'' (1988) A political drama about the right-wing settlers in the West Bank who oppose the peace treaty between Israel and the Palestinians, and blow up the holy mosques in Jerusalem to sabotage it. Originally produced by the Cameri Theatre of Tel Aviv. A new version of this play was produced at Theatre J in Washington DC (2007) and won a nomination for the Helen Hayes Best Play Award (2008). It was also produced in Chicago and Cleveland (2009).

* ''Exile in Jerusalem'' (1989) Originally titled “Else”. A drama based on the last five years of the life of the great German-Jewish poetess Else Lasker-Sch?ler, who fled Nazi Germany in 1933 and found refuge in Jerusalem where, in spite of her greatness, she died isolated and forgotten. Originally produced by the Habima National Theatre, Tel Aviv. Also produced by The Jewish Ensemble Theatre in Detroit (1993), Tri-B?hne Theatre in Stuttgart (1994), Williamstown Theatre Festival, Massachusetts – with Julie Harris in the title role (1994), the Wienkelwiese Theatre in Zurich (1995), Theatre J in Washington DC (1998), La-Mama Theatre in New York (1998), Freie B?hne theatre in Vienna, Salt Pillar Theatre in Melbourne (2000), Bimah Theatre in Berlin (2002)

* ''Autumn'' (1996) A drama about a doctor who immigrated from Poland to pre-state Israel in 1896 to become a farmer. After 30 frustrating years on the farm, he falls in love with his former lover’s daughter, but is caught by his wife and children who kill him to stop the affair. Originally produced by Beit Lessin Theatre, Tel Aviv. Also produced by the Heilbronn Theatre, Germany (1996)

* ''The Murder of Isaac'' (1999), A drama about the assassination of Yitzhak (Isaac) Rabin, Israel’s prime minister, following his peace negotiations with the Palestinians. The play explores the infrastructure of Israeli society in an attempt to present the internal ideological and religious conflicts that led to this tragic event. Originally produced by the Municipal Theatre of Heilbronn, Germany. Also produced by Centerstage Theatre in Baltimore, US, in 2006.

* ''Coming Home'' (2003) A one-act play about a young soldier who returns from his army service in the occupied territories suffering severe Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Originally produced by Tzavta Festival for One-act Plays (2003). Also produced as part of the play GEGENSETIEN written by a group of 8 Israeli and Palestinian writers in Heilbronn, Germany (2003), and by the Golden Thread Theatre in San Francisco (2003, 2009).

* ''Hard Love'' (2003), A drama about a secular writer and his ultra-Orthodox ex-wife who are trying to re-marry after twenty years of divorce, but discover that they have changed so much that living together has become impossible. Originally produced by the Haifa Municipal Theatre (2003). Also produced by Theatre Or in Durham, NC in 2005, by Bimah Theatre in Berlin (2006), by The Jewish Theatre of the South in Atlanta (2008), and by Old Mutual Theatre in Johannesburg, South Africa (2008)

* ''Passing the Love of Women'' (2003) A drama inspired by “Two”, a short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer (written in collaboration with Israel Zamir) about two yeshiva students in 19th century Poland who discover that they are homosexual, and one of them has to disguise himself as a woman so he can live together with his lover. Originally Produced by Habima National Theatre, Tel Aviv. Also produced at Theatre J in Washington DC (2004).

* ''Benedictus'' (2007), A political thriller that takes place 72 hours before an American attack on the nuclear facilities in Iran. An Iranian-born Israeli arms dealer tries to rescue his sister from Teheran and offers arms to an Iranian politician, who struggles to postpone the American attack. Originally produced by the Golden Thread Theatre in San Francisco. Also produced at the LATC in Los Angeles (2007) and Theatre J in Washington DC (2009)