Q: This play presents an exciting opportunity to see a light-hearted and funny love story featuring middle-eastern characters. Like your character, you have spent much of your life in Israel and also speak fluent Hebrew. Can you talk a bit about your experience of cultural collision when you moved to the United States from Israel? And to what degree is your experience reflected in the play?
A: Moving to a new country can sometimes feel like having to re-learn how to walk. Unlike Ayelet, I was very fond of America and felt ready to come here to pursue acting. However, I wasn’t ready for the identity crisis that came with transitioning from speaking Hebrew to English. The language we speak has a direct effect on how we think and feel, and essentially who we are. To my surprise, the more I embraced English, the less I felt like myself. Communication is more than just an exchange of information. Every word that we share holds a piece of who we are. I suddenly faced an unexpected challenge: how can I bring myself, my full self, back into the conversation? Ayelet’s journey to self-expression feels very similar to my own, and during rehearsal, I discovered just how important it is to me that her rich personality shines through the language barrier. It is a privilege to share such a profound experience with an audience, and through this character, also be reminded of who I am.
