Gesher Theatre’s Jaffa Fest opens on September 15, 2026, in a new format that will continue throughout the year. The opening program combines a Dmitry Krymov premiere, filmed productions honoring three major directors, pop-up theatre, a staged reading, a book launch and live music.
Krymov Fest and the premiere of Bloody Mary
The festival’s central strand is devoted to Dmitry Krymov. He will stage a play written especially for Gesher, teach a masterclass and meet audiences. The program also includes a premiere screening of a film he directed and the launch of a new issue of ZIMA magazine featuring his work.
Bloody Mary begins in a clinic queue, where people from different times and worlds meet, including two actresses preparing to play Mary Stuart. Their conversation gradually becomes the play itself. The Russian-language production has Hebrew surtitles and runs September 16 and 17 at 7:30 p.m. and September 18 at noon.
Three directors remembered on screen
A separate series honors Gesher founder Yevgeny Arye, Rimas Tuminas and Yuri Butusov. Each filmed production will be preceded by a conversation with Gesher CEO Lena Kreindlin, resident playwright Roee Chen and members of the company.
- September 15, 7 p.m.: R, Butusov’s production inspired by Gogol’s The Government Inspector, in Russian with English surtitles.
- September 17, 7 p.m.: Tuminas’s nearly five-hour stage adaptation of War and Peace, in Russian with English surtitles.
- September 18, 7 p.m.: Arye’s production of Oresteia.
A staged reading and a book launch
- Tamara Lies: launch of Netta Roth’s debut novel, September 15 at 4 p.m.
- Berlin, Charlottenburg: Marina Davydova’s staged reading, in Russian without translation, September 19 at noon.
Pop-up theatre and live music
- A Date on Sheinkin: a comic musical show with Noa Carmi and Gesher guests, September 15, 18 and 19 at 10:30 p.m.
- FromScratch: an outdoor music-and-theatre performance with Gesher actors, September 16 at 9:30 p.m.
- Letters to an Ex: three one-off pop-up performances built from real anonymous letters, September 17 at 9:30 p.m., September 18 at 6 p.m. and September 19 at 4 p.m.
Jaffa Fest has become a tradition. This year, despite everything, we will host major artists from abroad in Jaffa, pay proper tribute to the great directors who have died in recent years and give a stage to young artists at the beginning of their careers. Theatre is an international, universal language, and I am glad that despite all the difficulties it will once again be spoken in Jaffa
Lena Kreindlin, CEO of Gesher Theatre
