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Interviews
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Michael Ronen - Israeli director making his UK debut Rivka Jacobson in conversation with the director of IWitness at the Finborough Theatre We met at the small UCLU's Garage theatre. Michael Ronen was rehearsing with his cast the UK premier production of Joshua Sobol's IWitness. I could not resist ask him his age. 'I will be 25 on 5 March' he said smiling. That is now sorted. He is nearly 25 and not a teenager as I initially thought. At the ripe age of 24 and three quarters, this is his directorial debut in the UK. From childhood to maturityHe was born Michael (pronounced in Hebrew Me'cha'el) in Jerusalem in 1982. His father was at the time the Artistic Director of the Chan Theatre in Jerusalem and mother was (and still is) an actress. His only sibling, Yael, is nearly six years older than him. When he was one the family migrated to Tel Aviv, following his father's new appointment at the Cameri theatre. It was not surprising that at the age of 15 Michael, like his sister Yael, chose to study at the Thelma Yellin School of Arts, in Givataym, Israel. This school is famous for nurturing the needs of artistically gifted students. His sister Yael, now 30 years old, is a living testimony to the exceptional talent which may partly be attributed to the Ronen's genes and partly to the school. She is the author and director of Plonter and a few other successful plays which were staged at the Cameri, Tel Aviv. At Thelma Yellin School of Arts he directed an adaptation of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting and The Promise by A. Arbozuv. Michael insists that he wants to be judged on his own record and achievements as a director. The Military period"In Israel once you finish high school you move on to the army. It is a fact of life. It is an integral part of your life just like moving from childhood to manhood and your background and political views are irrelevant." So like most Israelis he looked forward to joining the army at the age of 18. "My medical profile indicated I could not join the Air-Force so I joined the Artillery Unit. That was in October 2000. "As a teenager I fantasized that in the army I'll be seen more macho, just like the heroes in war movies. I loved the idea of walking across the desert just like a character in a war zone. But reality was very different." Ronen was placed to guard at a check point at the start of the second Interfada (Palestinians' up rise), after Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount." I had to confront issues such as 'who is the enemy?' "I found it difficult to stop thinking. I found the experience dehumanizing. I did everything to get out of the post. I felt I needed to move out of the fighting forces. It was too much for me. The reality in Israel ensures that the army is an integral part of your life. We feel that in everyday life we need to defend and protect ourselves. The image of the Sabra (Israeli born) is that of ploughing the soil in one hand and holding the gun in the other. Our daily vocabulary borrows from the military life. It creates a mutation." UK experienceIn September 2005 Ronen came to the UK. Here he studied at LAMDA, where he has been the Assistant Director for Kathryn Hunter, Helena Kaut-Howson, James Kerr, Peter James, Aaron Mullen and Joseph Blatchley. He assisted Kathryn Hunter in a 'Conflict Resolution' workshop in Jerusalem and directed the UK premiere of Lars Noren's play War. MusesWhen asked about who and what inspired him., Ronen pauses and then explains, "In Israel one lives a dual reality. The outside harsh reality and the reality you create and have in your own mind, a sort of a fantasy. It is like in a relationship where we project on others things which are not there. My nick name was 'fantasy boy' or 'The Little Prince' (reference to Antoine de Saint-Exupery's Le Petit Prince). The theatrical world is the only world that makes sense to me. Here I am paid for projecting ideas I have in my head into reality. "I am drawn to directors that are prepared to take risks, just like children. Peter Brook, for instance, never sees himself as a having the final product. He is always looking for stimulation and a challenge. I am also inspired by Robert Lepage and Michel Gondry." Why IWitness?When asked what made him choose IWitness for his UK debut? Ronen replies without any hesitation: "This is a not an historical play. It is a bit like Brechtian theatre. It can be anywhere and need not be historical. It's about a conscientious objector. It is about when you live in a place and there is something everyone takes for granted and you, the individual, question it. "In Israel, everyone goes to the Army. So, if you object to going to the Army, you are acting against the general consensus. However, the idea of conscientious objector reflects an aspect of Israeli society that is not known outside Israel. In Israel, you cannot divorce politics from theatre. There is no escape from it. "The play deals with the struggle of one person against an acceptable social norm to which you are opposed. It is one's opposition to public opinion. It's an individual struggle against the majority. The effect it has is as if we are watching someone in interrogation room before his execution: cleaning shoes, like cleaning your conscience. "In this play, the struggle is not just external between the hero and the government but a personal inner struggle. The question is, should he sacrifice himself and, as a result sacrifice, his family? Franz, the main character in the play, is constantly cleaning. This act symbolizes his attempts to clean his own conscience. I chose this play because it is telling a human story and, the conflict in the play is universal." Any plans for the immediate future?A bright big smile adorns his face and with his youthful enthusiasm he tells me about an invitation he received from the Young Vic Theatre in London to set up a new workshop. "I'm in the process of creating my theatre company. It is going to be the Conflict Zone Theatre Company." Ronen elaborates: "The group would be based on former conflict zones citizens and strive toward innovative ways of theatre creation, under my direction. Using established techniques and methods the group would investigate themes from our conflict-fed reality. The idea is by working with the local community of refugees, asylum seekers and conflict zones veterans the group would extend its creative resource and contribute to the local community." What is the next play?Excitement and energy dominate his body language. "Well," he says, 'in collaboration between Conflict Zone Theatre Company and the Young Vic Theatre we are going to devise a modern version based on Albert Camus Les Justes (The Just Assassin)." Why Les Justes?Ronen moves on to detail the thinking process behind the idea. It is clear he thought about it long and hard. "The play, set against the turbulent backdrop of the first half of the nineteenth century in Moscow, unleashes the philosophical and psychological propensities of a group of young students - 'terrorists' belonging to a revolutionary, socialist party. Their dialogues with each other are self-revealing and it is hence the characters that gain an upper hand in the play as against the circumstances that propel their very being. The action in the play follows their attempt to kill the Grand Duke who is uncle to the ruling Tsar. Camus' play, inspired by a true to life event of the same nature, even has one of his protagonists named after the key terrorist who managed to eventually kill the real duke. "In our modern version, the location is London - some years from now, harsh anti-social laws towards immigrants, continued war in Iraq and other Arab countries bring a group of young immigrants to a create a terror organisation - in order to assassinate the Prime Minister. "Using the Company methods of workshop with local refugee community, and the personal experience of the cast in conflict zones, we shall investigate themes of: minorities' frustration, discrimination that leads to rage against the rulers and their rules." Rivka Jacobson reviewed Ronen's production of "IWitness" at the Finborough
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