Tzavta Theater Prepares for 28th Short Theater Festival with 14 Original Productions
Tel Aviv's Tzavta Theater will host its 28th Short Theater Festival from December 24 to 29, 2026, featuring 14 original plays, alternative venue performances, and star-studded guest shows.
From murder mysteries at local shawarma joints to unexpected military romances and eccentric theatrical bids for immortality, Tel Aviv's Tzavta Theater is gearing up for its landmark 28th Short Theater Festival. Scheduled from December 24 to 29, 2026, under the artistic direction of Tom Chodorov and Chen Garti, the upcoming festival promises a vibrant lineup of original short plays, office dramas, and bar-room performances.
The festival features two primary packages of four short plays each, alongside innovative alternative settings. Theatergoers can experience office-based performances inside a corporate workspace, as well as bar productions hosted at the BABU bar within the Tzavta complex, where four shows unfold intimately around the bar counter.
Star-Studded Lineup and Festival Highlights
A constellation of prominent Israeli actors and emerging talents will grace the stage, including Rivka Michaeli, Odia Koren, Rami Baruch, Noam Imber, and Nina Kotler. Among the 14 competing original works is "Ruth En Sof", written by Gal Chapski and directed by Michal Toporork, which follows a dying grandmother dragged into a theater in a desperate bid to extend her life by becoming a character. Another standout is "Operation Maya", written by Inbal Bar Lev and directed by Ido Kolton, chronicling an unconventional military base worker who falls for a new welfare officer.
Additional competition entries include "Triangle or Polka", featuring Odia Koren and Rami Baruch in a story about a bewildered husband confessing a potential infidelity to his wife, and "Murder at Tzadok's Shawarma", a dark detective comedy directed by Roi Malka about a married detective duo stumbling upon a gruesome crime scene at a local eatery. Furthermore, the festival will host seven guest performances, highlighted by a special 10th-anniversary show of "Angina Pectoris" featuring guest star Amir Shorosh ("Checkout", "Eretz Nehederet"), alongside "Viral - The Musical", "Chemistry", and "The Renovation".
