Sderot Women’s Theater Ensemble Turns Trauma into Black Comedy

The Sderot Women’s Theater Ensemble will debut the play “Laughing on the Border” on September 1 at the Sderot Community Center, followed by a mixed-audience performance the next evening. The production is billed as a black comedy that juxtaposes laughter with the “horrors of October 7,” aiming to let audiences process the conflict through satire rather than solemn remembrance.

The Jerusalem Post

Artistic director Ilanit Swissa—who was evacuated from Kibbutz Kfar Aza after the Hamas-led attacks—spent six months coordinating funerals, memorials and community rituals before returning to theater work. The ensemble’s members were scattered in evacuation hotels nationwide, maintaining contact through a WhatsApp group that persisted even without Swissa’s participation.

The Jerusalem Post

The script attacks clichés that have dominated Israeli public discourse since the war, rejecting slogans such as “a nation of lionesses” and “resilience.” A recurring sketch has a character blaming herself for a missed pre-attack warning, underscoring the community’s obsession with assigning responsibility. The play also uses the Rumpelstiltskin fairy-tale motif to illustrate the difficulty of naming the catastrophe.

The Jerusalem Post

Swissa says the ensemble hopes to bring the production beyond Sderot, targeting venues in Haifa, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and eventually Jewish communities abroad. She notes the logistical challenge of touring with ten women who collectively care for 36 children, but views the tour as a way to “process” the events for a wider audience.

The Jerusalem Post

• “There were scenes we ended up cutting because they were simply too dark,” — Ilanit Swissa, the theater’s artistic director

The Jerusalem Post

• “We openly declare that this is a black comedy,” — Ilanit Swissa, the theater’s artistic director

The Jerusalem Post

• “I knew I didn’t want it to be a spectacle of weeping and wailing,” — Ilanit Swissa, the theater’s artistic director

The Jerusalem Post

• “Phrases like ‘a nation of lionesses’ or ‘resilience’ – we just cannot stand hearing them anymore,” — Ilanit Swissa, the theater’s artistic director

The Jerusalem Post

• “When we are on stage, and the script requires us to say the words ‘Tzeva Adom’ (Code Red), it is incredibly difficult,” — Limor Hagbi

The Jerusalem Post

• “I want people to come, laugh, and feel that what happened is being actively processed,” — Ilanit Swissa, the theater’s artistic director

The Jerusalem Post