Volunteering in Ra'anana If you happen to be in the environs of Ra'anana on Thursday and fancy some gripping theatrical entertainment, the Kiryat Shmona-based M.A.R.A. Theater company should be able to provide the requisite solution. The English-language, threemember- cast production in question is Dan Clancy's internationally acclaimed play Volunteer Man, which takes an unblinkered and darkly comic look at how a patient with an incurable disease fights for the right to choose the quality of his life as time runs out for him. It also considers the morals and machinations of assisted suicide. The storyline follows the fortunes of a gentle, introverted gay man who volunteers to visit a hardnosed drug dealer who is dying of AIDS in a New York hospital. This predates the era of life-prolonging medication practices. The two men hail from different worlds and have very different perspectives of acceptable behavior, but they eventually manage to find a common cause. Director Roy Horovitz also stars in the show along with Michael Gamliel and Moran Zafran. Daniel Salomon wrote the soundtrack. The performance takes place on Thursday at 8:30 p.m. For more information: (09) 744- 2747 or www.mishkanraanana.com Thoroughly modern opera Giacomo Puccini's first operatic offering, Le Villi, will receive a refreshing airing with an all-star cast over the next week or so. The multidisciplinary production will show at the Krieger Performing Arts Center in Haifa on February 8 (8 p.m.), the Jerusalem Theater on February 10 (8 p.m.) and the Tel Aviv Museum on February 15 (8 p.m.), with soprano Ira Bergman and tenors Yotam Cohen and Gabi Sadeh in the performer lineup. Complementing the live onstage activity will be video clips by director Alex Kagan, who also designed the sets. Le Villi (The Fairies) is originally a one-act opera-ballet that tells the story of a young couple, Roberto and Anna, who are about to be wed, but whose matrimonial plans are scuppered by the groom's prenuptial trip. He falls for a siren en route and does not make it back home, and his fiancée eventually dies of a broken heart. Roberto finally makes it back and begs for forgiveness, but he does not get it, and he pays the price for his treachery. For tickets and more information: (04) 833-8888 or kupot@ ethos.co.il (Haifa); (02) 623- 7000, *6226 or www.bimot.co.il (Jerusalem); and *9066 or www.eventim.co./levilli (Tel Aviv) Seeing through the glass The Eretz Israel Museum in Ramat Aviv is hosting a fascinating historical photography exhibition called “Seeing Through.” The show, which opened last week and closes on October 15, comprises a treasure trove of pictures from pre-state Palestine and the early years of the state. The prints were produced from rare glass plates and repaired glass negatives stored in the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael- Jewish National Fund (KKLJNF) Photography Archives. Curated by Oded Balilty, the exhibition displays numerous works of the photography pioneers who worked from 1921 to 1960, including Shmuel Joseph Schweig, Zoltan Kluger, Ya'acov Ben-Dov and Avraham Malavsky. Some of the works are in light boxes that restore the radiance of the prints. For more information: (03) 641- 5244 or www.eretzmuseum.org.il The spice of Tu Bishvat The Derech Hatavlinim (Spice Way) Farm in Beit Lehem Haglilit will mark the birthday of the trees with a weekend of hands-on fun for all the family, together with, naturally, a chance to wrap your taste buds around some intriguing flavors. The event takes place next Friday through Saturday, kicking off at 9:30 a.m. with Tu Bishvat-themed artistic activities for the younger crowd – including a session on creating a window-box herb garden. Later, participants will learn how to combine chocolate with dried fruits, and at noon, kids and parents can attend a talk on the healing powers of an assortment of fruit, leaves and flowers. The program also includes a tasting session in the kitchen, and dried fruits from around the world will be on sale. For more information: (04) 953-3405 or www.derech-hatavlinim.co.il
(photo credit: INGIMAGE / ASAP)