RITZA

A group of young people sets out to Masada to sing at sunrise. The journey goes awry and becomes a vertiginous struggle with time, wind and sea. This magnificent story by S. Yizhar is re-deciphered in a musical-theatrical performance: 14 singers, musicians and actors gather together to create the sea of words and the whirlwind of sounds that press toward the moment in which time stood still around the ancient cliffs of the Dead Sea.

This work dives into the depths of the local essence and peels away musical layers hidden within the story. Ancient echoes mix with howling loudspeakers, the murmur of water and salt whisper and scream from the depths of the lowest place on earth. The performers experiment with various kinds of collective songs: travel songs, contemporary pop, trills, lamentations and public singing, with the participation of groups from within the audience.

In this local tale, the Dead Sea stars as a culture hero, and by its side, in the background, is the story of Masada:
“…where nothing has changed on it or in it since its great and awe-filled days until this day when one sees that indeed, as was promised before the journey – the chain from forefathers to offspring has not been severed la-la-la la-la-la.” S. Yizhar Running by the Sea