Last update - 00:00 23/10/2006
A new stage for Habima
By Zipi Shohat
It is final. The renovation of Habima National Theater is to begin after seven years of deliberations, crises and negotiations. Funds ¬ NIS 67 million ¬ were found after the responsible authorities, the culture and finance ministries and the Tel Aviv Municipality (each will pay NIS 33 million) ceased passing the buck between them. The plans are ready. Even a pamphlet prepared by the organization Friends of the Theater, which is supposed to raise NIS 10 million of the total sum, has been printed and is on its way to donors in Israel and abroad.
Sometime between January and March of 2007, the theater will be emptied and major renovations will begin. The theater has not been renovated since 1970. Habima is neglected and antiquated. It fails to meet fire and safety regulations as well as the demands of a national theater.
The theater will receive a face-lift designed by architect Ram Carmi, with the collaboration of the British Theater Project company. The latter has renovated and built major venues including the National Theater, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Court.
The entire complex is to be redone ¬ a new square will be built and Habima and the Mann Auditorium will be renovated ¬ turning it into a major cultural center expected to compete with the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center.
According to Habima's artistic director Ilan Ronen, the plan "on one hand preserves the identity associated with the building ¬ a rounded facade and the well-known Habima columns; on the other hand, it addresses the desire for a 2006-style theater."
It is not certain this objective was realized, and one may assume that the plans for the theater's facade will draw public responses for and against, despite the fact that the theater, unlike the Mann Auditorium, is not slated for preservation.
The onset of renovations will force theater directors Ronen, Benny Tzarfati and Odelia Friedman to find alternative venues. During renovations, the company will mount smaller productions of Habima's experimental and political plays at the Tzavta Auditorium in Tel Aviv.
Habima productions will also be presented at the Eretz Israel Museum, the Arison School of the Arts and the Beit Hahayal soldiers' hostel. Musicals including "King Solomon and Shalmai the Cobbler" and "Halahaka" (The Troupe) will apparently appear on the Noga Auditorium stage in the Gesher Theater, but a contract regarding these productions has not yet been signed.
The NIS 10 million to cover the period when these plays will be staged at other venues has not yet been raised. But an agreement between the municipality and the Culture Ministry dictates that renovations will not be postponed due to this lack of funds.
According to the plan, renovations will last two years. However, Habima directors do not intend to limit the company's productions during that period, and they may even step up activities.
Why? "Our goal is to preserve the company and the audience," Ronen says, "and even perhaps to strengthen the position of the National Theater. Decreased activities could lead to the waning of the theater. I fear that the minute our presence disappears and our activities diminish ¬ partly because there will be no building associated with our company ¬ we may vanish from the public awareness. That's why I believe we not only have to increase our activities, but must initiate special projects to reestablish Habima's position as the national theater of Israel. This requires wisdom and creativity, and that's part of what we are working on right now."
Only the columns will remain
Ram Carmi's plan leaves little room for historical reconstruction. With the exception of the columns, which are to symbolize the historical connection with the original building, the external mantle will be absolutely different. In other words, the renovation will have little resemblance to the original and lots of 2006-style architecture.
The entire length of the columns is to be left exposed, and the dark glass walls are to be replaced with transparent glass.
The uppermost exit from the Robina Auditorium is to be demolished. The columns will connect to the ceiling in a well-lit dome, which will give them a high-tech glitter.
The rounded facade of the building is to be preserved, but it will be expanded and embellished. Another two floors are to be added on top of the roof, and they are to serve as rehearsal rooms, offices, costume and prop workshops, and warehouses. Dressing rooms will be located in the basement, where offices are now. The cellular antennas will remain on the tower ¬ which will not be renovated ¬ above the large auditorium.
There will no longer be a separate entrance for each and every auditorium, but a large, main foyer that leads to all four theaters ¬ Robina, Meskin, Habimartef and Heineken. The foyer will be situated where Cafe Habima is now.
The cafe will move to a location overlooking "Orchestra Square" ¬ a temporary name ¬ which will be built in place of the parking lot. The parking lot will move underground. Box offices will adjoin the cafe and serve all auditoriums, and the main entrance to the foyer will also be situated here.
The bridge currently leading to the Robina Auditorium will be removed, making the glazed facade completely visible.
Orchestra Square, designed by Dani Karavan, will be an extension of Rothschild Boulevard and will connect to Chen Boulevard.
The problematic Robina Auditorium, which led to the demise of many productions, will be subjected to necessary amendments: Acoustics will be improved, the number of seats will be reduced to create a more intimate setting, the number of rows will be decreased from 22 to 19, and the space between rows will be decreased. The stage will be replaced, and access between the stage and auditorium will be amended to produce continuity. Robina Auditorium will be painted deep blue, and a wood floor will be laid.
Meskin and Heineken Auditoriums will be upgraded and given acoustic insulation. Another exit will be added to Meskin, and Heineken will become Habima's fringe venue.