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Sivan Raz has been involved with the JET community since 2019, performing with Theater in the Rough and Starcatcher! She has since moved to the United States and dearly misses the JET community! We asked Sivan some questions and would love to share her answers with you.

JET: What shows have you been a part of?

SR: In The Heights, Measure For Measure, Henry IV Part 1 (the early version), God Of Carnage, The Botanic Chorus, [and]  Winter Shakespeare Monologues Presentation

JET: Why did you get involved in acting?

SR: I always loved the performing arts, and was taking afterschool acting classes ever since I was a kid. But my deciding moment was in the last year of middle school, where I had to choose my majors for the next 3 years. I went to see the plays the seniors put up that year and I immediately knew I had to be on that stage or I’ll never forgive myself. There’s nothing more exciting than that.

JET: What is your favorite theater memory?

SR: I think the thing I remember most is the sense of strong community and “show family”. It’s little moments like me being tired before one of the Botanic Chorus shows and asking my castmates to shout into the void with me (which they lovingly did and it was great), the cast Shabbat we spent together during In The Heights and meeting everyone’s family, getting together on our days off rehearsal and hiking for fun, and many many moments more. It’s a lot of small things coming together to create such a strong sense of community.

JET: What is the hardest part about being an actor?

SR: Auditioning! For sure. I tend to be a little hard on myself and will sometimes have a hard time even talking about an audition that didn’t go well, but I have to say – I did get much better about that in the last few years! Always working on that one 🙂

JET: What was the most rewarding show you have ever done?

SR: The Botanic Chorus I think. It was a really great creative process that made me feel much more secure of myself and my abilities as an actor and creator. With the lovliest cast and crew, this show was my sendoff from Israel and it really could not have been any better. The level of involvement we as cast members had in shaping the final show made it feel like so much more personal, and made any positive comment we recieved so gratifying.

JET: How do you prepare for different roles?

SR: I tend to go with whatever methods the director brings to that specific production! Every director has their own unique style and I always think consistency within a production is so important, so I try to go with the way they navigate the entire cast! I do find myself always coming back to text analysis though, you can never go wrong there.

JET: What is your pre-show routine?

SR: After warming up my body and voice, I always love hanging around my castmates and just talk. The people are what makes the show fun for me and looking at my friend’s faces is what’ll get me through hard moments in the show if there are ones, so that’s always my go-to in order to feel happy and energetic before the performance.

JET: How have you changed as an actor throughout your career?

SR: This is a difficult question to answer, because I don’t know that I can differentiate how I changed as an actor and how I changed as a person. I guess the two are pretty intertwined. I think acting allows you the opportunity to get to know a lot more people and stories than you would otherwise and that ought to change you somehow. For me this mainly reflects in being more at peace with myself and the world around me, and the ability to make better choices about what it is I want to change in doing theater (activism theater is the coolest form of theater if you ask me)!

JET: What is your dream role and why?

SR: Prince Hal in Henry IV Part 1! Please someone cast me in that role immediately! I just think it’s the perfect play and character. Touches on so many themes I find interesting in my day to day life and I am amazed by how relevant and accurate the social criticism feels even hundreds of years after the play was first performed. I was always fascinated with the idea of fate for this character, and the play between his pre-decided destiny and the amount of agency he has over his own life. Especially wondering how much control does he think he [has] over his own choices. Don’t we all struggle with that? The [tension] between duty and freedom is I think an everlasting human conflict and one I would love to explore through this character. Also I just want to be the handsome prince for once 😉

JET: Feel free to share anything else about your experience with the JET community!

SR: I miss you all so much!

Rafael Sarya Serfaty has been involved with the JET community since 2019, performing with Beit Hillel and Starcatcher in Fiddler on the Roof, Aida, Heathers, and Into the Woods. We asked Rafael some questions and would love to share his answers with you.

JET: Why did you get involved in acting?

RSS: I [have] loved singing since I was a little kid. When I was 14 I auditioned for an Anime-musical in Tel-Aviv (Yes! Anime-musicals are a thing!) And I got accepted for the lead role. I knew nothing about acting then and I learned it during rehearsals. It was such a positive experience that it made me audition for the theatre in my high school the same year. From this point, theatre became a thing [I] couldn’t imagine myself not doing.

JET: What is your favorite theater memory?

RSS: I remember that after a show of Aida someone came to me to say how good the show was. He told me that he is playing guitar as a hobby and that the show made him realize that he actually wants to study music. It’s an amazing compliment for the show, and I’m so happy it inspired someone to learn and to create, even if it’s for a moment.

JET: What is the hardest part about being an actor?

RSS: As someone who comes from singing originally, I’m used to a skill which you know exactly when you’re doing it right. Singing for me is based on a very precise technique, and I can tell when it was done right and when it felt right. In acting it’s more complicated. Most of the time I can’t tell if my acting works. I can’t tell if it’s authentic or if I’m in the right mode, and doing just the things that you’re used to can create a hollow performance.

JET: What was the most rewarding show you have done?

RSS: Aida. It was a show that fit my measures perfectly. I played Mereb, a role that gave me the chance to show lots of aspects, from comedic bits to emotional ones. To this day, How I Know You (reprise) is still the most difficult song I did on stage while acting. Also, this was the show that cured my phobia from dancing. Thanks to the master choreographer, Ashira, for helping me with that 🙂 

JET: How do you prepare for different roles?

RSS: Trying new things every time. I love playing a character during rehearsal and challenging the limits it can get to. In the worst case scenario, something won’t work and I’ll do something else. That’s what rehearsals are for.

JET: What is your dream role and why?

RSS: The Phantom from The Phantom of the Opera. I fell in love with this character and with this musical ever since I saw the musical for the first time. Also, I always wanted to play a villain, and a villain who is motivated by love, loneliness and passion for the arts, as sick as it can be, is an interesting material to work with.

JET: How have you changed as an actor throughout your career?

RSS: I used to believe that good acting comes from pathos. If I may borrow from Gershwin, it ain’t necessarily so. I learned during shows to control myself, harmonizing with the other things around me and doing softer actions on stage. I cannot say I achieved full success, but I am working on it.