VERSMĖ invites to a dramaturgy workshop led by Naomi Yoeli

Naomi Yoeli at one of her performanses

Contemporary drama festival VERSMĖ invites young and emerging Lithuanian playrights and theatre people to a dramaturgy workshop on “researching and performing private histories" led by Naomi Yoeli ,one of the most significant contemporary Israeli fringe theatre makers. Individual stories and private memories open up a vast creative territory where along with “small narratives” that could be researched it also raises the questions of collective memory and human history, i.e. the issue of individual versus collective.

The applicants are invited to think of a rough idea how they want to delve into this idea, what questions they want to raise, what stage form they are thinking to employ (traditional written play, diary, a monologue, site-specific, visual, installation, etc.). Applicants are required to think of a personality (or autobiography)  they want to deal with during the workshop: familiar through photos, objects, diaries, a book, a real story, an article, etc. The personality, however, should not be a celebrity or a "big" historic character – on the contrary, they will be asked to deal with "historically unimportant" people.

One or two of the participants will be selected to continue his or her work with the mentorship of Naomi Yoeli, and present it at the Contemporary Drama Festival VERSMĖ in November. Mentorship will involve one live session (3 days) in August, and virtual consultations and feedback during the process.

Dates of the workshop:  July 1–4 (4 days)

Venue: Lithuanian National Drama Theatre

Number of participants: 10

About the mentor

Naomi Yoeli, born in Jerusalem and living in Tel Aviv, Israel, has been involved in many aspects of Theatre, including directing, acting, puppetry, storytelling and performance as well as theatrical research, dramaturgy and play writing. Naomi has a PhD (Summa cum laude) in Theatre Studies,Tel-Aviv University. She has been researching and lecturing on Israeli ceremonies as theatrical phenomena. Currently she is teaching Performance as Research at the Theatre Department of Haifa University, Israel.

Naomi has been the creator of experimental theatre productions since the 80's. Throughout her career as an independent theatre maker she has been involved in the major Fringe Theatre initiatives in Israel, amongst others being a member of the artistic committee of the Acco Festival of Alternative Israeli Theatre, 2000-2004.Over the past years she has developed her own independent theatre performances and her own personal approach to performance, using story-telling and object-theatre skills. In her performances she has investigated individual histories, private memories and traumas vs. the “big histories”, collective memory, rituals and ceremonies.

Naomi has received very positive reviews of her works and has won some major awards. Many of her stage works have been the subject of academic papers and research. Naomi is often invited to academic events to lecture about her works and to give demonstrations from various performances.