Gesher Theatre, Tel-Aviv, Israel

Tel-Aviv | Israel

We invite you to get to know us
a little better

Touring repertoire 2026 edition

01 About

About Gesher Theatre

Gesher Theatre was founded in 1991 by director Yevgeny Arye, general manager Slava Maltsev, and a troupe of Russian actors, who immigrated to Israel from Moscow in pursuit of artistic freedom.

Gesher Theatre at night, seen from above, with audience gathering in the square outside

In its early days, the theatre served as one of the few bilingual theatres in the world, staging every play both in Hebrew and in Russian. Nowadays, Gesher Theatre performs solely in Hebrew.

Over the years and under Arye’s leadership as Artistic Director, Gesher Theatre has won a place of prominence in the Israeli cultural scene as well as in the international arena. In its 35 years of existence, Gesher Theatre has created more than 100 productions, which have won numerous awards and appeared on the world’s most prominent stages and festivals.

As befits its name, which means “bridge” in Hebrew, Gesher Theatre sees its goal as being a source of integration in Israel’s multicultural society, promoting new generations of young theatre artists and presenting a repertoire composed of world classics alongside well-known texts from Jewish literature. All this, while maintaining uncompromising artistic excellence along with an ongoing search for new and challenging theatrical languages.

Founded
1991
Years on stage
35
Productions
100+
International engagements listed
65

02 People

The people
behind the bridge

Portrait of Yevgeny Arye

Yevgeny Arye

Founder and the Artistic Director
1947–2022

Born in Russia where he received his educational background: a Bachelor Degree in Psychology from Moscow State University and a Master Degree in Theatre Directing from St. Petersburg Institute of Theatre Music and Film. During his successful career, Arye has been invited frequently to direct in the leading theaters in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Riga, and has served as an Associate Professor at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts in Moscow.

Under Arye’s leadership, Gesher Theatre won a place of prominence in the Israeli culture and was declared as one of the best theaters in the world, his more than 60 productions at the Gesher Theatre received numerous awards and rave reviews. For his outstanding achievements, Yevgeny Arye received Honorary Doctorate Degrees from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Weizmann Institute and Bar Ilan University. In 2017 he received The Israel Emet Prize for Art, Science and Culture.

Portrait of Lena Kreindlin

Lena Kreindlin

Director General

Born and raised in Moscow. Kreindlin received her M.A in Theatre Management and Stage Directing from the Moscow Theatre Academy and later worked in Moscow’s leading Theaters. In 1991, Lena Kreindlin left Russia and came to Israel to join Gesher Theatre’s creative team. Throughout the years she directed: Medea (2005), Design for Living (2006), The Elder Son (2007), Othello (2015), Martyr (2016). Since 2007, Kreindlin serves as Gesher Theatre’s Director General.

Portrait of Roy Chen

Roy Chen

Chief Dramaturge

Roy Chen is an author, playwright, and translator. Since 2007 he has headed the Drama Department of Gesher Theatre. He has published four books, translated prose, classic fiction novels, and over 40 plays from Russian, French, and English into Hebrew, and represented Israel in book fairs around the world. His many adaptations for the stage and original plays were staged at the Gesher Theatre.

Roy Chen is the recipient of many awards including:

  • 2025Elliot Norton prize for Outstanding Play for The Dybbuk (Boston)
  • 2023S.Y. Agnon Prize for Literature
  • 2022Rosenblum Performing Arts prize by the city of Tel Aviv
  • 2022The Levi Eshkol prize for Hebrew Literary Works
  • 2017Yitzhak Navon prize for the Preservation of Israeli Cultures

03 On tour

Gesher’s
tours
abroad

For more than three decades, Gesher Theatre has brought its productions to some of the world’s leading international festivals and stages, creating a unique artistic dialogue between cultures, languages, and audiences. From New York, London, Paris, and Berlin to Beijing, Melbourne, Bogotá, and Tbilisi, Gesher’s work has represented Israeli theatre on the global stage while building an enduring international presence through acclaimed productions and artistic collaborations.

    The façade of Gesher Theatre at night, with the Hebrew logo lit above the entrance

    04 Productions

    Selected
    shows

    Seventeen productions. Each one opens with the full creative team, cast, running time and press, and you can ask about bringing any of them to your stage.

      05 Contacts

      Bring Gesher
      to your stage