The stage owes hundreds of thousands of overseas playwrights: "Almost diplomatic incident caused"

It is estimated that the stage owes hundreds of thousands of shekels to international playwrights. Following one of the duties of a Croatian playwright, a diplomatic incident between Israel and Croatia was almost certainly caused. Industry Factors: "Failure to Pay Overseas Creators Above Damage to the State of Israel"

The stage owes hundreds of thousands of overseas playwrights: "Almost diplomatic incident caused"

(In the video above: the promo for the show "Filomena" Habima, written by Italian playwright Eduardo de Filippo)

First publication: The Habima Theater, which is in the process of freezing, owes hundreds of thousands of shekels to international playwrights. These valuables are added to a number of other heavy debts of the National Theater, including millions of shekels in aggregate for many Israeli theater creators, as revealed in Walla last month! culture. The biggest debts about them is known to Walla! Culture is the heirs of the Italian playwright Eduardo De Filippo for the play "Filomena", which is estimated to be worth at least $ 50,000. A knowledgeable source claims that the successor's representative asked for the Foreign Ministry's help and felt sad that he did not receive assistance from him.

Another major debt almost caused a diplomatic incident between Israel and Croatia. The theater allegedly owes tens of thousands of dollars to Croatian playwright Miro Gabran, who wrote the play "My Wife's Husband." "It's going to be a sabotage and a dramatic story," says a Habimah official. "A few months ago, the Croatian ambassador met with former Habima CEO Odelia Friedman to complain that the theater had not paid Gabran for the show. The embassy asked on behalf of Croatia-Israel international relations to deal with his problem. "The play written by Gavran came on the scene nearly three years ago in Yaron Fried's translation, directed by Roy Segev and starring Shippy Aloni, Ami Smolarchik and Finny Calderon." A difficult story, "adds Habima." The Croatian filmmaker has not yet considered his work and the show still wants Habima. There's a problem here. It is impossible not to pay debts. Failure to pay overseas filmmakers is damaging to the country.

"Debts of millions": The filmmakers threaten to disable the theater

"Obligations for international filmmakers cause damage to Israel." The National Theater (Photo: Reuven Castro)

The stage (Photo: Reuven Castro)

Stage obligations estimated for international playwrights:

The play "Filomena" - a debt assessment for the heirs of the Italian playwright Eduardo de Filippo - at least $ 50,000

The play "My wife's husband" - Debt assessment for Croatian playwright Miro Gabran - tens of thousands of dollars

The Show "The Strange Couple" - Debt for American Playwright Neal Simon's Heirs - $ 12,000

The play "Shakespeare in Love" - Debt for British playwright Lee Hall - $ 9,000

The play "Panic" - Debt for English playwright Robin Hoden - $ 8,000

The play "Curves" - debt assessment for American playwright Martin Sherman - thousands of dollars

The play "Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf" - Debt Assessment for American Playwright Heirs Edward Alby - Thousands of Dollars

In the Shadow of the Crisis: Former Chamber Director Noam Sgtel has been contacted to run the stage

The Croatian ambassador met with the ousted director-general, Odelia Friedman, in fear of a diplomatic incident. The play "My wife's husband" (Photo: Jarre Alon)

Interview with Shippy Aloni, from the play "My Wife's Husband" (Photo: Jarre Alon, PR)

"As soon as the stage does not pay international filmmakers, there is not only an alleged violation of copyright law, but also a bad name for Israel," says a factor in the world of theater in Walla! culture. "Because the stage has made full-paying art for rights, all theaters in the country, including those who behave honestly, have been harmed. Other theaters suffer from the conduct of the stage because of an impression on some of the international filmmakers and their agents that the poor payment ethic is typical of all Israel. ".

In November, the PLO announced a labor dispute with Habima following a delay in salary payments, dues to actors and royalties for "landmark" playwrights. Later that month, District Court President Eitan Orenstein ruled that the theater owes tens of millions of shekels, suspending the CEO's powers. Lith Odelia Friedman and the Board of Directors appointed two temporary trustees for crisis management. Last month, as first published in Walla! Culture, has been appointed CEO of the Board of Trustees and the Noam Sgtel District Court, formerly the CEO of the Chamber.

The internationally acclaimed debts to international creators here are first added to the theater's huge debts, including - as revealed last month in Walla! Culture - claims of millions of shekels in aggregate to forty Israeli theater creators, including playwrights, directors, translators, decor designers, lighting and costumes. The biggest debt claim for creators that came to Walla! Culture touches on the successful "Landmarks" musical about Naomi Shemer's life embedded in her songs. According to the argument, the stage owes Shemer's heirs and the creators of the musical Oren Jacoby and Giora Diamond about NIS 900,000. "Debt amounts indicate that there has been a method here over time," he told Walla! Culture of singer and musician Ariel Horowitz, the son of Naomi Shemer and one of her heirs. "We must put an end to this, even from the state's point of view, if you do not budget the stage properly, and also from the point of view of the management who despised the filmmakers."

We also disclosed claims for debts in excess of NIS 300,000 to Rami Vered, about 200,000 to Nathan Detner, 200,000 to Daniel Lapin, the same amount to Moti Lerner, 175,000 to Ilan Ronen, 150,000 to Ronnie Finkovich, more than 100,000 to Hanan Snir , More than 100,000 for Dawn, 100,000 for Linz Levy and more.

The late American Jewish playwright Neil Simon. The stage owes $ 12,000 to its heirs for the "Strange Couple" play rights, according to the estimate (Photo: Image Bank GettyImages)

Neil Simon (Photo: GettyImages)

The ousted Habima CEO, Odelia Friedman, did not respond to Walla! Culture this time either.

Mahabima delivered in response to Walla! Culture: "As of November 25, 2019, the date on which the Eitan Orenstein District Court President decided on the Habima Theater to freeze proceedings, the trustees and Noam Sgt. The theater. From then on, all the rights holders receive the royalties due to them both in Israel and abroad." .

It should be noted that royalties on filmmakers abroad, whose plays were presented in the theater, have already appeared in the theater years ago. In 2012, the Foreign Ministry also applied to the Ministry of Culture for non-transfer of royalty payments by filmmakers from London and New York. In order to avoid "terrible image damage ... before causing us major embarrassment here (in New York)," and to "prevent Israel's embarrassment and denial," the state comptroller noted in his report on the National Theater, which ended in August 2015. Despite interference Foreign ministries and culture, and despite the image damage in Israel, until this time, unpaid debts remained, wrote the assessor R. The report also claims that in a random check by the state auditor of a few overseas vendor accounts, old debts totaling more than NIS 750,000 were found.

In September 2016, it was reported in Haaretz that "Curtis Brown", one of the UK's leading representation agencies, which owns rights to Samuel Beckett and Gerald Darrell's plays, boycott Israeli theaters because the theater and theater shows she has not paid royalties for three years to date. The Irish play "Something Good" by Elaine Murphy.