Once a year, the northern Israeli city of Acre becomes a giant hub for performers when the Acre International Fringe Theater Festival takes over during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
The film festival has taken place in the diverse city for over 40 years, held in the halls of the crusader knights at the heart of Old Acre, and declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 2002.
"Everyone can get a stage here, no matter which religion, ethnicity, gender," says Lizu Ohayon, the festival’s manager. "Everyone is here, and Acre gives them the environment to develop."
In the case of the play "Traffic Jam," the festival gave the creator a road to perform on.
Nadav Ruziewicz, new to the theater scene, wrote his play and offered it to many directors without success until he approached the organizers of the Acre Festival. The play is a unique theater event that occurs outside, on the road, between and inside the cars on it, in which the characters and the audience share the same traffic jam.
“In this funny and exciting show, eight characters trying to get to their destination get stuck together, with the Israeli question: ‘why aren't we moving?’ hovering above them,” the excerpt for the play states.
He got the idea for his play while being stuck in traffic himself, imagining the stories of people in the cars around him.
"It’s a play that deals with time," Ruziewicz said. "We have a story about a mother with Alzheimer's who is stuck in the past, one about a couple that wants to get married which is stuck in the present.”
“I looked for a story that I could use to tell the story of the end of all times, so it was clear to me that I needed to deal with death somehow. This story is a quiet comedy, more like a black comedy."
During the festival, the Old City of Acre is filled with street performances for the entire family.
"I like the street shows. One artist comes and does an entire show for children," Abed, a visitor, said. "But there are also shows for adults. Anyone can come and enjoy."