So many great things have been happening in our community theatre throughout the prolonged winter we had and the first slow arrivals of spring, which is now in full bloom (indeed one of the things I enjoy here in Hungary is observing the seasons, which in difference to other countries I have lived in – such as England or Israel – each carry a very different character). I would tell you about a couple of them, which to me have been (only) some of the most significant. European Voluntary Service.

At the end of February I have hosted an evening in our theatre for the people of Jászberény. I started it by performing a short mime show created by myself about my refusal to join the Israeli army when I was 17. This experience, explained from both a personal and a comic point of view, provided an intro into the main part of the evening: an informative talk which was meant to shed light on the history of the conflict in the region I have grown up in, of Israel-Palestine. The feedback from the audience was both very appreciative and interested. I was pleased of that, glad to have been contributing knowledge on an important issue in the world, and also felt that the event was building a step up in the acquaintance and connection between me and the local community.

A month later I repeated the performance and talk, with some adaptations of course, for a local crowd of teenagers, who have been incredibly interested too. Again I was delighted to feel I have brought something of value and interest to them.

The second of the few most significant events in the last term was opening a new class of visual theatre to a group of 10-14 year-olds. This class is a laboratory for experimentation with ideas new to the students and sometimes new to me too. We explore the use of visual art in performance by many different approaches and through the use of very different means: what can we create with broken chair parts? What costumes and sets can we create with old brochures? How can we play with an image projected on a curtain through a projector, and with “eyeballs” made of polystyrene balls being placed on different parts of our body? The main idea is experimentation and play that stem from looking at something in a different way, and it is a delight watching the students create to the stimulations and responding to them from a visceral experience. Watch this space for more detail that I will provide after we had our final show in June. We are currently working towards it, with all groups, while the spring is turning summery and the apples and cherries in our garden are beginning to grow.

Roni M, EVS (European Voluntary Service) volunteer

European Voluntary Service (EVS) project supported by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Commission.