About Orto-da

ORTO-Da Theatre Group was established by Yinon Tzafrir  in Tel aviv 1996. Since the group`s foundation ORTO-Da has won over 15  different kinds of international theatre awards, among them, “One of the best 10 performances in the world” (from NRW, West Felia, Germany, 2007) – for “Stones”

Orto-Da Theatre group crafts an original, international physical language born
from the deep observation of human movement and behavior. and rooted both in the Israeli culture and in the cosmopolitan humanist tradition.

ORTO-Da has pioneered an original, non-verbal performance methodology born from intense observation of human movement, body mechanics, and universal behavioral patterns. Transcending language barriers, the group fuses modern pantomime, dramatic clowning,  and visual street theatre to create visceral, highly emotional narratives. Their work bridges distinct cultural spheres-grounded in Israeli experience while speaking directly to a cosmopolitan, humanist tradition. By transforming the human body into the primary storytelling tool, ORTO-Da touches on deep social and philosophical themes with wit, empathy, and raw poetic power.

Since 2012 the Orto-Da team are the artistic directors of the Open air section of the International Haifa Theater Festival

The name, ORTO-Da expresses the tension between the desire to preserve traditional ways of thinking and the dedication to create new ones. It was derived from playing with the words “orthodox” and “Dada” and the Hebrew words for “light” and “thanks”.  The blend of these meanings reflects both our anchor and our freedom to create in the language of the theatre.