Ruth Kanner: Biography
Ruth Kanner has been the creator of experimental theatre productions since the early 80’s. Currently she is a Professor at the Department of Theater Arts of Tel Aviv University, Israel, and leads Ruth Kanner Theatre Group, in Tel Aviv.
Ruth Kanner Theatre group is an experimental and unique theater team, specializing in adapting literary and documentary texts to the stage, using a variety of innovative story-telling theater and movement techniques. Along the productions created by kanner with her group, kanner is a guest director of Theater X-Cai, Tokyo, Japan.
Kanner also presents lectures and workshops in Israel and Worldwide. “Israeli Storytelling”, a theatrical lecture with Ruth Kanner accompanied by acted theatrical scenes from stories by prominent Israeli authors, was presented in Prague, Czech Republic (2007), Wroclaw, Poland (2007) and New Delhi, India (2008).
Kanner’s projects have won important Israeli awards:
The Landau Prize for the Stage Arts committee, wrote:
“Ruth Kanner is a unique creator in Israeli theatre: She is a director, an adapter, an actress, a choreographer and a teacher of theatre arts. Her latest work, Discovering Elijah reveals her diverse talents: an excellent stage adaptation and directing a magnificent show… orchestrated, choreographic, manifesting unusual sensitivity for words…a moving show and a very Israeli one…”
The Fringe Theater Award committee, wrote:
“Throughout the years, Ruti Kanner has been creating an original, engaging theatrical language. She has elaborated fascinating means of expression based on movement and speech. Her work exhibits sensitivity and lightness, which add up together to a total, simple and moving theatrical ensemble”.
LIST OF WORKS
2024 MEKHRAV NUMAG, The Ruth Kanner Theater Group.
2023 KONSEKI, Theatre X- cai, Tokyo.
2023 BOARDER TOWN by Shen Congwen, Drum Tower West Theatre, China.
2023 ASIDE, The Ruth Kanner Theater Group.
2021 TELL ME SOMETHING, The Ruth Kanner Theater Group.
2020 Babau, El Chupacabra, Loup Garou & Other Demons, Juilliard, New York.
2020 INTERRUPTIONS: A Laboratory for Theory and Practice in the Theater, The Israel Institute for Advanced Studies.
2019 FAMILY TIES, The Ruth Kanner Theater Group.
2018 IMA WA MUKASHI based on Taketori Monogatari, Theater X-Cai, Tokyo.
2018 WALKING SWIMMING RUNNING – AT SEA by S. Yizhar. The Ruth Kanner Theater Group.
2017 NO THING DIES: MUSEUM TALK, as part of Ilit Azoulay’s “No Thing Dies”, The Israel Museum
2016 RUNNING by S. Yizhar. The Ruth Kanner Theater Group.
2016 THE ADVENTURES OF HUMIT by S. Yizhar. The Ruth Kanner Theater Group.
2015 SNOWY NIGHT, PENGHAO THEATRE, International Festival of Performing Arts, Beijing
2015 MATKA, bassed on a play by Witkiewicz, Tadeusz Kantor Festival, Tokyo.
2015 TIME OF METAMORPHOSIS, The Ruth Kanner Theater Group.
2014 THE HEBREW NOTEBOOK And other stories by Franz Kafka, The Ruth Kanner Theater Group.
2012 THE WAY TO THERE, Stories for children by: Daliah Rabikovich, H.N. Bialik, Fania Bergshtein, Avraham Shlonsky And Shlomo Ariel.
2011 THE FLIGHT OF THE DOVE By Yuval shimoni, produced by the Bat Sheva Dance Company, Tel Aviv.
2010 SAKURA NO SONO NIPON By Yoko Tawada, Based on The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov. Theater X-Cai, Tokyo, Japan.
2009 HE WHO SAYS YES / HE WHO SAYS NO by Bertolt Brecht. Ruth Kanner Theatre Group.
2008 CASES OF MURDER By Manfred Franke, produced by the Bat Sheva Dance Company, Tel Aviv.
2007 EUMENIDES by Aeschylus. Theater X-Cai, Tokyo, Japan.
2006 DISGUST. Based on documentry texts, collected from everyday conversations, produced by the Bat Sheva Dance Company, Tel Aviv.
2005 KIMOTAMA OKA: MOTHER COURAGE AND HER CHILDREN by Bertolt Brecht, produced by the Theater X-Cai Brecht Festival, Tokyo, Japan. In 2007 performed a tour in Kyoto, Nara and Kanazawa, Japan.
2005 SIGNALS with vocal artist Victoria Hannah, at the Kitchen Theater, New York, for the Association of Performing Arts Presenters Conference.
2005 AT SEA by S. Yizhar. produced by the Bat Sheva Dance Company, Tel Aviv.
2004 DIONYSUS IN DIZENGOFF CENTER, from a book by Tamar Berger. Adaptation to the stage by Dr. Avner Ben Amos and Ruth Kanner, produced by the Tel Aviv University Theater, and the Akko Theater Festival.
2003 CALLINGS, A musical theatrical performance with international voice artists Mariana Sadovska and Victoria Hannah, produced by the JCC Manhattan, New York.
2003 BATHERS, a special project with actresses and dancers, written and directed by Ruth Kanner, produced by the Bat Sheva Dance Company, Tel Aviv.
2002 CHILDHOOD with the singer Judith Ravitz. Beit Lessin Theater.
2001 DISCOVERING ELIJAH by S. Yizhar. Akko Theater Festival.
2000 Artistic Consultation and Acting Guidance for the show KAMTI ANI LIFTOAH (“I Rose to Open”), based on The Song of Songs with the voice artist Victoria Hannah, HaZira Ha-Ben Tehumit Theater, Jerusalem.
2000 OUT OF HAMLET, an acting project, The Department of Theater Arts, Tel Aviv University.
2000 ZRIF KATAN (“a Little Hut”): songs for children by Leah Goldberg. The Han Theater, Jerusalem. Music: Dori Parnas. Acting: Doron Tavori.
1999 THE MEDIUM, an opera by Carlo Mennoti, Conductor – Ori Leshman, the Music Academy, Tel Aviv University.
1999 AMOS an adaptation of a story by Moshe Izreeli. Akko Theater Festival.
1998 AND ONLY THIS ONE GOT NO COOKIE a show about food, a collage of works by Ibsen, Proust, Joice, Shalom Aleichem Kastel-Bloom and others, Fringe Theater, Tel Aviv
1997 GUESTS AT MY WINDOW a theatrical musical show, Shiruli Ensemble.
1996 Aeschylus’ EUMENIDES in the Tel Aviv University Theater. This production was invited to participate in the Millenium Responses Congress of Saloniki, Greece, under the auspices of Thessaloniky: Cultural Capital of Europe Festival, 1997.
1996 THE UGLY DUCKLING, after Andersen, Orna Porat Theater for Children and Youth.
1995 EVENING AND MORNING by Y.H. Brenner , produced in the framework of Akko Theater Festival.
1994 AMPHITRION by Plautus. Department of theater Arts, Tel Aviv University.
1993 WINTER RITE, by Dan Tzalka. Department of Theater Arts, Tel Aviv University.
1993 ART ART ART, A theatrical production, inspired by a wall painting by Roy Lichtenstein in the lobby of the Tel Aviv Museum.
1992 A CITY OF DEVILS AND KINGS by Ilan Sheinfeld. Hanita Productions Theater.
1992 THE SILENCE, an adaptation of a script by Ingmar Bergman. Department of Theater Arts, Tel Aviv University.
1991 DAVID AND JONATHAN, adapted from the Biblical story. Department of Theater Arts.Tel Aviv University.
1990 WHITE NIGHTS by F. Dostoyevsky, Theater Arts Department, Tel Aviv University.
1988 BITS. Teddy Productions Theater. (a group work).
1985 ABOUT THE STRUCTURE OF THE ATOM, Teddy Productions in collaboration with the Theater Department of the Kibbutz’ Teachers Seminar.
1984 KADIA MOLODOWSKY’S POEMS, Mask Theater.
1984 KING SOLOMON TALES (adapted from H.N.Bialik). Teddy Productions Theater. (a group work).
1983 SEA, Tzavta Theater, Tel Aviv. (a group work).
1982 ANIMALS, A show for children. Teddy Productions Theater. (a group work).
1979 THE WATER CYCLE, Theater of Light and Shadows, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. (a group work).
*Photography: upper photo: Yair Arcavi | lower photo: Gadi Dagon
