Mayumana'a 'Be' Opens Off-Broadway this Winter

Mayumana, the internationally acclaimed rhythm-dance-performance art company from Israel, will make its American premiere with its newest high-energy stage spectacle, Be. Created and directed by Eylon Nuphar and Boaz Berman, Maymana's Be begins previews at Off-Broadway's Union Square Theatre (100 E. 17th St.) on Friday, February 23, 2007. Opening night is Tuesday, March 13 at 7 p.m. 
 
Conceived by Nuphar and Berman in Tel Aviv in 1996, Mayumana (from the Hebrew meaning skill) is "a theatrical event that combines elements from various art disciplines based on music, movement, acting, dance and rhythm. "An ever-evolving performance piece, Mayumana has gone through constant re-creation in its ten-year history, giving focus to the individual talents of its evolving roster of cast members, who come to the show from all parts of the globe," according to press notes. 
 
Mayumana has been experienced by more than 3.5 million people worldwide and is the recipient of the Award for Excellence in Theater Production by Israel's National Academy of Theater. Since 1996, Mayumana has performed over 5,000 shows in more than 30 countries worldwide and throughout the past six years, there has been a Mayumana show – usually two or more – performing somewhere in the world almost every evening. 
 
Mayumana's Be is a new 90-minute production specifically created for its American premiere. 
 
The multinational Off-Broadway premiere cast of Mayumana's Be includes co-creator Boaz Berman, Sharon Ben Naim (Israel), Vicente de Andres (Madrid), Michael Feigenbaum (Switzerland), Alba Bonal Garcia (Barcelona), Silvia Garcia de Ves (Palma de Mallorca), Ido Kagan (Israel), Yael Mahler (Israel), Eva Boucherite Martin (Spain), Taly Minkov (Mexico), Reut Rotem (Israel), Ido Stadler (Israel), Aka Jean Claude Thiemele (Ivory Coast) and Hila Yaffe (Israel). 
 
The production features scenic design by Nizan Refaeli, costume design by Neta Haker, lighting design by Eyal Tavori and sound design by Amir Schorr. 
 
Mayumana's Be is presented Off-Broadway by Marc Routh, Thomas Viertel, Steven Baruch, Roy Ofer, NBO, Pamela Cooper and Annette Niemtzow. 
 
The performance schedule for Mayumana's Be is Tuesday through Friday evenings at 8 p.m., Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.  Tickets are scaled at $20 -$60 and are now available by calling 212-505-0700, through Ticketmaster.com at 212-307-4100, or  in-person at the Union Square Theatre Box Office beginning Monday, February 12. For groups of ten or more, please call 800-677-1164. 
 
For more information, please visit www.BeOffBroadway.com.

Photo courtesy the Mayumana Company