"There are no small roles, there are only small actors," said director and actor Konstantin Stanislavsky, a phrase that has become one of the common proverbs in the theater world, but every actress knows that there may not be small roles, but there are big roles. And when they arrive, it's a dream come true.
This is exactly what happened to actress Michal Uziel who was chosen to play Yarma, Lorca's mythological heroine, in the modern adaptation of the familiar classic (written by Simon Stone and translated by Eli Bizhawi), which will premiere on the stage of the Cameri Theater this weekend, directed by Gadi Roll. Alongside Uziel will also be Tom Avni, Sarah von Schwarze, Ala Daka, Ruth Asrasai and Sharon Cohen-Raz.
The famous tragic poem about Yerma, whose passion for children becomes an obsession, receives a modern adaptation when this time she is the editor-in-chief of a culture magazine, a considered blogger and married to a dream man, who longs for a baby and will do anything to be a mother.
Uziel (34) completed her acting studies five years ago at Yoram Levinstein's studio, and immediately entered the Beit Lisin Theater for the play "Things I Know." She moved to Camry, experienced the onset of COVID-<> like everyone else, became pregnant and for four years played several roles in Camry. Then came Yarma.
"I watched their adaptation of 'Yerma' in London and fell in love. I knew I had to do it, it was a huge success in London, and I talked about it with Gilad Kimhi [the artistic director of the Cameri]," says Uziel. "A few months later he called and wanted me to do the job. It was the most moving phone call I've ever received."
What will she cheat for you?
"The adaptation of the play deals with today's modern woman, a successful careerist, a feminist, who lacks a child. She wants to get pregnant, and what is seemingly natural and simple evolutionary doesn't work for her. This yearning for a child that grows throughout the play develops into a kind of obsession, mental deterioration, and playing today's woman is important to me.
"I'm a careerist, a feminist, and the question of how far I'll go for my desire really occupied me. I have friends who can't get pregnant, whose stories aren't told, and I want women who sit in the audience and watch it to get a complete, round picture that represents them with dignity.
"Times, complexities and difficulties have changed. I myself am the mother of a 3-year-old girl, which is a big and significant thing for me, and the thought that I didn't have Alona brings me to tears. I think I'm a much better actress since I'm a mother."
Soon you'll see her on screen in the series "8200" that will air on Hot, in which she will play a Mossad agent, and in Camry she will soon begin rehearsals for "Waking Up Lions." But she knows it's the job she's been waiting for, the one that will open the other doors for her.
"I worked very hard to get this opportunity. I went through bumps and bad disappointments, things that almost happened. In the Yoram class I was with stars like Niv Sultan, Lihi Kornowsky, Lena Freifeld, Yael Elkana, Dor Harari.They broke out very quickly, and I kept wondering to myself when this was going to happen to me because I work hard and believe in myself. I'm happy with the path I've taken, which has brought me with learning and experience and a lot of confidence, and it's clear to me that this feels like the big opportunity."
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