The River and the Sea

"The River and the Sea" follows the journey of David, a young Jewish American man who travels to Israel on a Birthright trip, inspired by his dying grandfather, who always wanted to see the country but never could. Once there, he goes about interviewing everyone he meets: his tour guide, Israeli soldiers and military refusers, a Bedouin sheikh, American immigrants, a Holocaust survivor, a young mother...
"The River and the Sea" follows the journey of David, a young Jewish American man who travels to Israel on a Birthright trip, inspired by his dying grandfather, who always wanted to see the country but never could. Once there, he goes about interviewing everyone he meets: his tour guide, Israeli soldiers and military refusers, a Bedouin sheikh, American immigrants, a Holocaust survivor, a young mother from Gaza… As he travels the land and meets more and more people, he feels increasingly implicated in a conflict he initially set out only to document. He becomes close with a young female soldier he met on the Birthright tour who is vehemently right-wing, and with an impassioned Palestinian activist from the West Bank who begins to doubt his intentions. As they both demand he choose a side, and the reality of the situation becomes progressively clearer, David is forced to come to terms with his own fears and biases and finally take a stand. Based on a true story and written using the real words of people interviewed by the playwright all over Israel/Palestine in 2012-2013, "The River and the Sea" challenges our notions of history, identity, and belonging.
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The River and the Sea

Recommended by

  • Cheryl Bear:
    7 Aug. 2020
    Right in the heart of it all, David explores the multifaceted stand off between Israel and Palestine. Incredibly powerful and thought provoking, this thoroughly examines all the intricacies. Very well done!

Character Information

  • David
    20's,
    White
    ,
    Male
    A twenty-something Jewish-American writer who goes on the Birthright trip to Israel and afterwards travels the area in order to explore the situation in Israel/Palestine and his connection to it.
  • Actor 1
    20's/30's, Array,
    Female or Non-binary
    Plays multiple characters: ANAT, a twenty-year-old conservative- minded soldier in the Israeli Defense Force who meets David while accompanying his Birthright trip; NAJLA, a passionately political Palestinian woman in her early twenties from Ramallah whom David befriends; and NOA, an Israeli military refuser. Also plays GAZAN WOMAN, ISRAELI SOLDIER, AMIR, and AHMAD. Speaks some Hebrew and Arabic and English with Israeli and Arabic accents.
  • Actor 2
    30's-50's, Array,
    Female or Non-binary
    Plays NITZAN, an Israeli tour guide with Birthright in her thirties; UMM RAED, an elderly Palestinian woman whose son was killed during a protest; RUTH, an elderly Israeli settler and right-wing activist; and MONIKA, a German convert to Judaism. Also plays TZIPORA, NAOMI, RACHEL, BEDOUIN MAN, TAMAR, IMM AMIR, and DALIT. Speaks some Hebrew and Arabic and English with Israeli and Arabic accents.
  • Actor 3
    30's-50's, Array,
    Male or Nonbinary
    Plays ISMAIL, a Palestinian citizen of Israel and a professor of history; and SUHEL, a Palestinian activist from Hebron, both forties; DOV, a middle-aged Israeli settler; and YAAKOV, Nitzan’s grandfather and a Holocaust survivor. Also plays NATHAN, RON, CHAIM, NIDAL, MAHMOUD, TARIQ, and OTHER GAZAN WOMAN. Speaks some Hebrew and Arabic and English with Israeli and Arabic accents.
  • Actor 4
    30's-50's, Array,
    Male or Nonbinary
    Plays MARK, a middle-aged conservative Jewish American settler; REUVEN, Anat’s father; the elderly SHEIKH of a Bedouin village that is continually demolished by the Israeli government; and ABU HASSAN, a middle-aged Palestinian man from Hebron defending his home from settlers and soldiers. Also plays JOSH, ZE’EV, RAED, AKEEM, WOMAN FROM JENIN, CAB DRIVER, ELIEZER, and CHECKPOINT GUARD. Speaks some Hebrew and Arabic and English with Israeli and Arabic accents.

Development History

  • Workshop
    ,
    New Repertory Theatre
    ,
    2015
  • Workshop
    ,
    New Repertory Theatre
    ,
    2014