The Flufenbach and Zufenhaim Theater Group

addition to the entertainment effect) .The shows clearly call on the audience: They turn them into a part of the theatrical event, use entertainment and theater to incorporate the audience and bring it closer to the event and its contents. The group’s shows appeal to the broad public and to all ages, the literal tongue (text) is made out of a mixture of simple international words, usually leaning towards English, German and Yiddish. The show’s language holds an important part of the humor effect but it also functions as a tool to connect to the audience and to create added layers of meaning inside the viewer’s mind. The group won an award and recognition with their street show “Flufenbach and Zufenhaim- Making peace” (Flüfenbach und Züfenheim - Für den Frieden) which was presented at the Bat- Yam and Akko festivals (2009). One of the arguments made by the judges to support their choice: “The award is given for the brave, intelligent handling of a sensitive issue and by humoristic exclusion, without descending into the vulgar, as for an effort-invested ensemble work and the discovery of an accurate and rich physical, theatrical language fitting a street theater show”. The new show “Flufenbach and Zufenhaim- Reeducation” (Flüfenbach und Züfenheim – Neukunztslernen – übong 2) is a conceptual and developmental sequel to the previous show. The show- “Re-education”

Flufenbach and Zufenhaim are ambassadors of “Germößtsturmkampf”, a small colony in the Alps, which had only recently opened up its borders and exposed its citizens to today’s world. Following a financial crisis and community hardships Flufenbach and Zufenhaim go to seek help with some members of the colony’s foreign ministry delegation. They do this in order to try and harness other great nations finance and mind to rehabilitate their country. During the visit the clerks will attempt to pick the outstanding citizens to lead and progress a future educational revolution. They assume the ideology is there already (from Hertzl’s time to Rabin, Napoleon to Sárközy, Karl der Große to Hi**er, Victoria to Churchill, George Washington to George Bush etc’) but it must be reminded. The method of education requires a change, there is a need to restore assurance and trust in the state’s institutions. The delegation claims the citizens’ longing and will to “Restore the glory days”, must be used. It relies on the temporary vacuous feeling and the citizens’ yearning to the age of the founders of their states. The group’s vision aims at establishing a campus for education personnel to allow re-training (re-education) and assimilate the values to fit the new state of the country. The process the audience goes through- The show itself functions as a training center operated by members of the delegation- the audience takes an active part in the separate training scenes. In each of the stages the members of the delegation will attempt to pass a part of their vision to the audience. After the outside sorting process (Chaos), the audience will take part in communal sing-along’s (Kumsitszusammen), obedience and trust exercises (Transzendentfolk). They will get carried away by the idea of the revolution (Ratzional), and experience target shooting and physical exercise (Achtungsmacht). The process the characters go through- The clerks are full of motivation, they believe in the path and convinced that they have the ability to bring their ideas into fulfillment amongst the citizens of the world. But despite of their unity- their flamboyant exhibitions of power expose cracks in this unity to the audience. Members of the delegation are torn between their need for individuality and independence and the values on which they were raised on- collectivity and nationalism, trust and obedience, ideals and their safeguarding. This is expressed in the members’ conflicts in between themselves; conflicts which will worsen throughout the show, up to the eventual failure of the reeducation process. The show “Re-education” won the first price at 2010 Akko Fringe Festival. Additional awards were given for music, graphics, costumes, and stage design. Excerpt from the Akko Israeli Fringe Theatre festival jury for the 2010 best play: "[Hebrew] The local language does not allow us to properly examine our lives. We need the assistance of powerful alienation in order to understand our world."

* Now showing at the Cameri Theater of Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem Theater and Haifa City Theater. Fluffenbach and Zufenheim is an open theatre model, reformable and adaptable to any culture. Though the narrative, characters and scenography are already set, there is an open part that is meant to appeal the audience to make it subject to power out of free will. This open part is to be changed for every culture, since the roots of power can be traced back through the specific history of a society. The open theatre model gives the spectators the special opportunity to enjoy the play as if it were built especially for them. Fluffenbach and Zufenhaim is a theatrical pattern that can be used anytime, anywhere. Because it refers in itself to many different cultures and languages, it surmounts the barriers of cross-cultural understanding. With the help of music, satire, grotesque and physical language, reduced gestures and mime, the audience can really enjoy the show and gain an intellectual advantage. Not everything is explainable or can be understood, but the show as a whole gives an explicit and unique experience of being part of the game. Liveness as the strength of theatre is taken serious by us: the play as such can only be seen and understood by the audience it has been adjusted for. We grab the collective imagination of a people and implement it into the plays narrative on power. The narrative does not give any answers, we do not serve any solutions – we give the audience the possibility to reflect themselves through their clichés, through the eyes of the naïve and funny Germoesststurmkampf citizens