Rebels and Patriots is a powerful collaboration between Israeli, Palestinian and British actors that shines a light on the consequences of Israeli mandatory conscription. The thought-provoking piece draws from the real-life experiences and diary entries of the play’s writer, Nadav Burstein during his time in the IDF. It will be performed in August at the Edinburgh Fringe festival.
Tell us about Rebels and Patriots.
Rebels and Patriots started as diary entries I scribbled during my time in the IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) and is based around my experiences and those of my closest friends in mandatory army conscription. I’m currently developing it with my theatre company Floating Shed and with collaboration with Palestinian theatre maker Tarik Badwan as an Israeli-Palestinian co-creation.
The story is about four young friends; one wants to get out of the army, one is an Arab-Israeli soldier who’s deeply affected by the political conflict around him, one is exempt from service and a political anti-war activist, and one is a combat pilot. It talks about protest against war, toxic masculinity in the armed forces and self-harm, and tries to give the audience an opportunity to get a glimpse into a reality they see so much about in the news, especially this last year.
It illuminates what it means to be Israeli and peace-pursuing and calls for an end to the bloodshed in the region – the awful dichotomy of love for your fellow people under the pressures of politically motivated violence.
The characters in the play have different attitudes towards their conscription. How did you approach writing these perspectives and why was it important to include them?
The different attitudes around conscription in the play came from the real stories and perspectives of myself and my friends growing up in Tel-Aviv, and so when I started writing the play I immediately saw how the complexity of life in Israel was evident through their relationships. That’s why those experiences fitted a theatrical space so well – the drama and conflict between those young men and the complex circumstances around them are dramatic in essence.
Ultimately, all those characters want to live peacefully in a safe home and are pursuing what is a political truth to them. The core of their individual struggles, and of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a whole, stems around the notion of what safety is and what people are willing to sacrifice in order to defend it as a truth.
The play is called ‘Rebels and Patriots’ and I think that the name encapsulates the essence of the piece; Israeli society is a deeply pained one, and the history of the region is one of persecution and war, and so when the characters talk of their different perspectives around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict they really show that they’re neither rebels nor patriots. They’re young people in an impossible reality.
There was talk of National Service being introduced in the UK recently. What are your thoughts on that?
When we talk about ‘National Service’ in direct translation to Hebrew, we actually mean a voluntary alternative to Military Service for those who are exempt from it; That service is usually volunteering with schools, hospitals, care homes or other organizations that work within the social sector and that help people in need. There’s huge value in giving back to society and this kind of non-military service, where focus is on helping those in society that need it could be a pretty good idea worldwide.
Who would you like to come and see Rebels and Patriots? Which type of person?
The horrors in Israel and Palestine have been on everyone’s screens and papers for the past year and it’s evident how polarised people are in the conversations around it. Most people feel like they need to take a very strong stance ‘against’ something, or ‘for’ the other. I would like to invite those people to get a glimpse into the complexity of reality in the region and understand that the only thing they need to be ‘for’ is human rights, and the only thing they need to be ‘against’ is violence and war. I would like to invite people that care about the future and who are willing to have meaningful and difficult conversations around the topic to start a journey towards understanding one another’s humanity.
How would you like to be remembered in this industry?
The essence of the work is around the collaboration between Israeli, Palestinian and British artists and the message behind that is clear. We would like to be remembered for making raw theatre that really unpicks the problems it deals with and isn’t afraid to have uncomfortable conversations. We would like to show that coexistence is possible – our work together is a testament for that.
Rebels and Patriots will be performed at 3pm at the Pleasance Courtyard (Upstairs) from 31st July – 25th August
Booking Link: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/rebels-and-patriots