BEST FRIENDS, return engagement at 14th Street Y

ISRAELI ARTISTS PROJECT and STRIPE GUM PRODUCTIONS
​Proudly Presents the Return Engagement of

Winner of the Israel National Theater Award for Best Comedy in 1999

“A 1990s Israeli play is the feminist production NY needs right now…The play, which is both hilarious and heartbreaking, centers on three women — Leli, Sophie and Tirtza — who are at a breaking point in their lifelong friendship…The play works today, in 2023, because it leans on universal, wide-reaching themes.” - New York Jewish Week

“A zippy portrait of three best friends through the years… the delicate balance between the humor and the heartbreak. ​ The six actresses create totally believable portraits of modern women.” - Theaterscene.net

“Anat Gov does a fine job on the meta-playwriting level. “Best Friends” is a genre piece that is also an affectionate commentary on the genre to which it belongs.” - ArtsFuse.org

BEST FRIENDS

Can Childhood Friendship Stand the Test of Time

Written by ANAT GOV

Directed by HAMUTAL POSKLINSKY-SHEHORY

LIMITED ENGAGEMENT
​​ October 4 - 28, 2023 AT THEATER AT THE 14TH STREET Y

TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT STAVFESTIVAL.ORG

ISRAELI ARTISTS PROJECT (Yoni Vendriger, Producing Artistic Director) and STRIPE GUM PRODUCTIONS (Amir Kishon) are pleased to announce following a sold-out run at Rattlestick theater, the return engagement of award-winning Israeli playwright Anat Gov’s BEST FRIENDS, the longest-running comedy in Israel and winner of the prestigious Israel National Theater Award for Best Comedy in 1999, directed by Hamutal Posklinsky-Shehory. BEST FRIENDS will be performed in both English and Hebrew (by the same actors) in a limited engagement as part of the Stav Festival at the Theater at the 14th Street Y (344 East 14th Street at First Ave). ​ Performances begin Wednesday, October 4 at 7 p.m. and continue through Saturday, October 28. Tickets are $25-$50 and are available at ​ https://www.go-out.co/venue/stavfestival.

BEST FRIENDS tells the saga of a friendship between three women over 3 decades. ​ Sophie, Tirzah, and Lelly met in their high school bathroom in the late 1960s. From that inauspicious beginning, a life-long friendship was born. Now, twenty years later, these best friends are brought together when Sophie and Tirzah have not spoken to one another for nearly two years, and Lelly tries to reconcile the two by bringing them to discuss “a matter of life and death.” The friends are seen in all phases of their lives and friendship, with flashbacks throughout the years starting from their youth until their forties. 

Told with humor, heart, and biting wit in scenes that go back and forth in time, BEST FRIENDS  is about three women who are forced to examine their friendship and discover themselves in the process. 

“I’ve been involved with many Israeli theater productions as part of the estate of my father, Ephraim Kishon, who was also a prominent Israeli playwright”, says Amir Kishon. ​ “Israel is blessed with playwrights that offer unique, yet universal, commentary about life’s key themes. Anat’s BEST FRIENDS heartfully captures the essence of female friendship across time and her conclusion is surprising. I am sure that after seeing this play, like me, audiences may want to go home and call one of their longtime friends and say, ‘Hi!’”

Anat Gov has been one of the leading fresh female voices in Israeli theater. Her work addresses some of life’s toughest questions, God, death, and friendship. Recently, My Happy Ending, her play about her experience battling cancer was made into a Hollywood movie starring Andie MacDowell. Anat passed away from cancer in 2012. Before her passing, Gov spoke of her writing of BEST FRIENDS, “I really wanted to write a play only for actresses, as a compensation to the fact so few good roles are available for women.” 

The production stars Addi Gefen (Swan Lake Rock Opera) as Young Tirza, Karin Hershkovitz Kochavi (Fool for Love) as Sophie, Maia Karo* (War Stories) as Lelly, ​ *Adi Kozlovsky (The Vocapeople, New World Stages) as Tirza, Yael Shavitt (The Record, The Public Theater) as Young Sophie and Maya Shoham (Girl, The Idealist) as Young Lelly. The swings are Dafi Cramer (A Bright Room Called Day, Purchase Repertory Theater) ​ and ​ Te'ena Klein (Ajax in Iraqu). *Equity Members - Equity Approved Showcase

The production, assistant directed by Belle Yaacoby, features scenic design by Liron Barel, costume design by Doron Malka, and lighting and sound design by Hamutal Posklinsky-Shehory. The stage manager is Carly Friedman, assistant stage manager is Netanel Saso. Publicity by Katie Rosin/Kampfire PR.

BEST FRIENDS plays the following schedule through Sunday, April 2: 

Performances in English:
​ ​ ​ Wednesday, October 4 at 7:00 pm
​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Thursday, October 5 at 7:00 pm - Press Performance
​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Friday, October 6 at 12:00 pm - Opening Performance
​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Friday, October 13 at 7:00 pm ​
​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Saturday, October 14 at 1:00pm
​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Sunday, October 22 at 1:00 pm
​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Monday, October 23 at 7:00 pm
​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Friday, October 27 at 7:00 pm

Performances in Hebrew:
​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Saturday, October 7 at 7:00pm - Press Performance
​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Thursday, October 12 ​ at 7:00 pm
​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Sunday, October 15 at 7:00pm
​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Friday, October 20 at 7:00 pm ​
​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Saturday, October 21 at 9:00pm
​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Thursday, October 26 ​ at 7:00 pm
​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Saturday, October 28 at 7:00 pm

Tickets are $25-$50 and are now available online at https://www.go-out.co/venue/stavfestival. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the theater a half-hour prior to the performance.

Running Time: approximately 75 minutes (no intermission)

Website: www.IsraeliArtistsProject.org and www.StavFestival.org 

Instagram

Media Kit with Photos

Maia Karo (Lelly), Adi Kozlovsky (Tirza), Karin Hershkovitz Kochavi (sophie)Maya Shoham (Young Lelly), Addi Gefen (Young Tirza), Yael Shavitt (Young Sophie)

Yael Shavitt (Young Sophie), Maya Shoham (Young Lelly), Addi Gefen (Young Tirza), Karin Hershkovitz Kochavi (sophie), Maia Karo (Lelly), Adi Kozlovsky (Tirza)Yael Shavitt (Young Sophie), Maya Shoham (Young Lelly), Addi Gefen (Young Tirza)Karin Hershkovitz Kochavi (sophie), Maia Karo (Lelly), Adi Kozlovsky (Tirza)

Karin Hershkovitz Kochavi (sophie), Maia Karo (Lelly), Adi Kozlovsky (Tirza)Maya Shoham (Young Lelly), Maia Karo (Lelly)

BIOGRAPHIES

ANAT GOV (1953-2012) (Playwright) was one of the foremost playwrights at the Cameri Theatre and in Israeli theatre. Her plays have been performed all across Israel’s top theater stages. Several of her plays also had productions around the world in over 10 languages. Best Friends, which first was presented in 1999 at the Cameri Theater, won the 2000 Israeli Theatre Award for Best Comedy and ran for over 700 performances. It was later revived with a joint production of the Cameri and Beit Lessin theater in 2014 with another successful run.

Anat Gov was born in 1953 in Tiberias. She was married to Gidi Gov, and had three children and two granddaughters.

She graduated from the Theatre Track at the Thelma Yellin High School of the Arts, and did her army service in the Nahal Entertainment Troupe. She studied at the Tel Aviv University Department of Theatre Arts.

Writing for television: Zehu Ze (Educational TV, 1981-1991), Yes, What? (comedy series, Channel One), Evening With Gov (Channel Two), and Best Friends (drama series, HOT). Writing for theatre: Love to Death (1991, Jerusalem Khan Theatre), Best Friends (1999, Cameri Theatre), which won the 2000 Israeli Theatre Award for Best Comedy, Lysistrata 2000 (2001, Cameri Theatre), Opposing Sides, a joint project of Israeli and Palestinian playwrights for Theater Heilbronn in Germany (2003), Househusband (Cameri Theatre), which won the 2004 Israeli Theatre Award for Best Comedy, The Troupe, a stage adaptation of the musical (2007, Habima National Theatre), Oh, My God! (2008, Cameri Theatre), A Warm Family (2009, Cameri Theatre), Happy Ending (2012, Cameri Theatre). Translations: Via Dolorosa by David Hare, and Mother Courage by Bertolt Brecht (Cameri Theatre).

She was a columnist for the daily Yedioth Ahronoth, and one of the founders of the Ezrat Nashim organization for victims of sexual assault.

HAMUTAL POSKLINSKY-SHEHORY (Director) is a Drama Therapist and a theater director. Hamutal grew up in Israel, where she engaged in community building and created professional theater for many years.

Hamutal aspires to utilize the strong connection between theater and individual growth to create social transformations.

In her theatrical work, she utilizes her clinical techniques, and through aesthetic choices of movement, doubling, colors, and sound, reveals the beautiful human complexity.

ISRAELI ARTISTS PROJECT (IAP) - Your Home For Israeli Culture - is a non-profit organization that promotes and presents Israeli theater, music and art. IAP creates a home and stage for local Israeli artists— while providing a taste of home for lovers of Israeli culture.

Since 2018 IAP has reached thousands of audience members all over the East Coast through presentations of over 20 unique activities: from one-night-only musical events, kids programs, art exhibits, to theater runs for all ages. We have partnered on events with America-Israel Cultural Foundation (AICF), Israeli American Council (IAC), JCC's, Y's, Israeli Houses, synagogues, schools, and other organizations all over the East Coast.

During Covid, IAP presented the play Divorced by the Cameri theater, which was created to be performed in private homes and spaces in both Hebrew and English.

Currently, they have a special kids' show that gives homage to the Israeli classic The 16th Sheep. They created our very own house cover band called New Aviv City that had an inaugural show Shir-A-Long on February 9th. The next show will be on March 28th and May 11th. IAP is currently organizing an art exhibit to showcase local Israeli visual artists in May.

Next season IAP will open with a month-long Israeli Arts and Culture festival called Stav Celebration that will feature theater productions, one-night-only musical events by local Israeli artists, a galley exhibit, kids activities and many special workshops.

STRIPE GUM PRODUCTIONS (Amir Kishon) is a production company that focuses on bringing universal Israeli theater to US stages. Since 2020 Kishon has been involved with several ongoing developmental productions of Israeli plays. This includes also a recent reading of ROMEO VS. JULIET, a play by Kishon’s father about Romeo and Juliet's 30-year marriage, following their unsuccessful suicide. This industry reading was produced by Kishon and Award-winning Brian Spector of Keaka Production, with award-winning Rashad Chambers as the Executive Producer. ​ Amir Kishon is also a high-tech entrepreneur and serves as a Director of the Ephraim Kishon estate. Ephraim Kishon is considered the founding father of Israeli Humor and one of the most popular and widely read contemporary satirical authors in the world. His work includes 5 movies (2 Golden Globes, and 2 Oscar nominations), 8 plays and over 40 books, with over 50 million copies sold. 

# ​ ​ ​ ​ # ​ ​ ​ ​ #

Listings Information:
​Who: ISRAELI ARTISTS PROJECT and STRIPE GUM PRODUCTIONS
​What: Anat Gov’s BEST FRIENDS, directed by HAMUTAL POSKLINSKY-SHEHORY
​Where: Theater at the 14th Street Y 344 East 14th Street at First Ave
​When: October 4 - 28
​How: $25-$50 at https://www.go-out.co/venue/stavfestival

Told with humor, heart, and biting wit in scenes that go back and forth in time, BEST FRIENDS  is about three women who are forced to examine their friendship and discover themselves in the process.