The Na Laga’at (Please Touch) Center, a non-profit arts and cultural center in Jaffa that has created a meeting place for deaf, blind and deaf-blind individuals as well as the general public, is presenting a special program called Blind Day, from June 4-6.
The center, which includes a theater, a restaurant, an event complex and a workshop, is holding this event with the slogan, “Close your eyes – and see!”
The idea is to hold activities and events that are staged in ways that mimic blindness, so people without visual challenges can experience aspects of what blind people go through.
Among the events will be the center’s flagship production, “Not on Bread Alone,” which features 11 deaf-blind actors who take the audience on a journey in their unique world, mixing the realms of darkness, silence, and baking bread.
The show is based around the process of kneading the dough, letting it rise, and baking it on stage. The ensemble rehearsed this production for two years before bringing it to the stage, and it presents a unique sensory experience, demonstrating different ways of communication.
An evening in their shoes
“Conversations with the Bartender” is a successful cult show that is held in a completely dark room, in which the audience sits together with the actors at the bar in the Na Laga’at restaurant in complete darkness, drinking, talking, laughing, and listening to music.
The Blackout Restaurant at the Center will host Chef Yehuda Amar. Amar is a Master Chef winner, and currently the chef of the Tel Aviv Hilton Hotel as well as for the Israeli national soccer team. The meal he will create consists of a set menu that will be made especially for the evening.
The chef has a personal connection with the place, which will be revealed at the end of the four-course meal. Dietary restrictions can be accommodated, and the restaurant is kosher dairy, with certification from the Tel Aviv Rabbinate.
“The Blind Day at the Na Laga’at Center emphasizes and focuses the work we do all year at the center of raising awareness of people with sensory disabilities through cultural events for the general public throughout the year,” CEO Oren Itzhaki said.
“Throughout the program, there are unique activities, featuring a welcome collaboration between artists from different fields. We seek to create enriching encounters for the audience and give them a special experience.”
For the full program and to order tickets, go to their website at https://nalagaat.org.il/en/