An emotional and powerful documentary performance by Ilya Domnov, bringing to the stage the voices of doctors, medical staff, patients, and medical clowns at Barzilai Hospital during the first weeks of the war.
On October 7, 2023, as Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon continued to operate under rocket fire, the medical teams were faced with a relentless influx of wounded—soldiers, civilians, police officers—and helpless families searching for their loved ones. Amid this chaos, alongside the doctors and nurses, stood the medical clowns.
What is the role of a medical clown in a reality filled with pain and loss? How do you keep smiling when everything around you is falling apart?
Ilya Domnov, a medical clown at Barzilai for over a decade, documented his and his colleagues’ experiences through interviews with hospital staff, patients, and fellow clowns. From this material, a powerful and unforgettable performance was born—based on carefully selected testimonies that tell the story of the first days of the war through a deeply human and vivid lens.
Through the eyes of a medical clown, the play reveals the daily struggle to care for the wounded, to face confusion and fear, and to find brief moments of grace and hope amid the pain. It is the story of those who became witnesses against their will, of those who were left behind, and of those who fought to save lives—not only physically, but emotionally as well.
Creators:
Playwright: Ilya Domnov
Director: Michael Teplytsky
Multimedia Design: Stanislav Kaplan
Cast:
Ilya Domnov, Helena Yarlova, Anna Dubrovitsky, Natalia Gentman, Ori Levenon
Photos: