An exciting and unforgettable evening took place on Sunday, June 8, 6, at the Haifa Theater. The students of the "Musical Play Workshop" in the music department from "Reut High School for the Arts" put on a spectacular musical performance - an impressive display of voice, playing, and acting that testified to talent, depth, and an inspiring educational approach.
This evening, Broadway met Carmel in an excellent musical performance that revealed the beating heart of Haifa's creation.
Haifa's Dream Stage: The Finale of 'Reut'
On the evening of Sunday, June 8, 2025, the Haifa Theater became a stage of dreams.
As the sun set over Mount Carmel, one by one the students of the "Musical Play Workshop" in the music department of the "Reut High School for the Arts" took to the stage and transformed the routine evening into a colorful celebration of musical theater, deep singing, precise playing, and immersive acting.
The festive performance, which concluded the school year in the major, was not just a graduation event – but a moving artistic statement, which testified to the cultural and human wealth bubbling up in Haifa.
From the top to the stage lights: The school that became a Haifa talent incubator
"Reut High School for the Arts", located in the heart of the Hadar Elyon neighborhood, has a rich history - in the past it was known as "WIZO Haifa", the School of Art and Design, and in recent years it has changed its face and become a high school that continues the "Reut Middle School". The school offers its students a rare combination of full academic studies, including a full matriculation certificate, and an in-depth and broad track in the fields of the arts.
Reut's pedagogical vision is based on art education as a way of life. Students don't just learn art – they live it, breathe it, and even create it. This is evident in every corner of the school, and it was especially evident on the stage of the Haifa Theater that moving evening.
Musicals at the Heartbeat: A show that combines voices, instruments, and characters
The music major at Reut is known for its meticulous performances in the classical and jazz genres. This time, its students chose to explore one of the most demanding and beloved genres: musicals.
The musical play workshop, open to all students in the program, brought together singing students and students who play instruments – piano, cello, etc. – out of a shared love for the genre and acting.
The show included thirteen songs carefully selected from a rich repertoire of great musicals, such as: Cabaret, Les Misérables, Billy Schwartz, Company, Funny Girl, and more.
Each song was a vocal and theatrical challenge – not only technical precision but also the ability to enter the character, understand their emotional background, and express them in a voice that emanates from the chest, throat, brain, and heart.
The Vision Behind the Execution: Dr. Tomer Heseg Leads the Way
The workshop was led by conductor and teacher Dr. Tomer Heseg, a prominent figure in the field of music education in Israel, a graduate of the "Beit Zvi" acting school and a lecturer in musical singing at the "Kibbutzim Seminar".
Tomer Heseg, with extraordinary sensitivity and faith, accompanied his students on an inspiring creative journey. Under his guidance, the students faced a wide range of emotions, challenging vocal tasks, and a rare deepening of theatrical understanding – a process in which they were required to look inward, at themselves, and express their inner world with honesty and courage.
The selection of songs was made together with the workshop students, with personal vocal and theatrical adaptation. Each student was required to delve deeper into the character she chose to portray – to understand her desires, her fears and translate this into voice and movement on stage. This was a workshop of transformation, of internalization and artistic maturation.
A Stage for Everyone: Young Theater Students in the Audience
The audience included excited parents, friends and guests, but also a particularly moving presence of the Haifa Theater's campus students - children and teenagers from elementary to high school - who are also experimenting with theatrical singing and are preparing for their first performance.
The inspiration was mutual: the stage provided vision, and the audience provided hope.
The school as an urban cultural center
Ofir Shadmi, a former fighter pilot and current school principal, sees the musical as a direct continuation of Reut's guiding educational approach: connecting creativity, community, and culture. "The Reut students' musical workshop," says Shadmi, "is an example of a growing trend at the school - to create art within the classroom, as well as to share it with the city's residents and cultural institutions. In this way, it is a work that speaks to the heart of Haifa."
Indeed, the musical performance was part of an impressive series of events open to the general public, including: a fashion show at the Tikotin Museum, two musical performances at the University of Haifa, and theater performances that took place in recent months.
Each event is a window into the students' fascinating abilities, but also a call to deepen the connection between art education and the community and the city's creative institutions.
"Exhibition Night: The Peak of Creativity at the Arts Center
And if it seemed like the musical performance summed up the year – the highlight is yet to come. This Thursday, June 12.6, will be the third consecutive year of “Exhibition Night” – a large-scale exhibition evening where the works of graduates from the four art majors will be displayed throughout the school: Multidisciplinary Art, Photography, Fashion Design, and Product Design.
These are works that are the culmination of an ongoing six-year process – technical, theoretical, emotional and spiritual study. The studio will become a gallery, the corridors an exhibition space, and visitors will be invited to admire the inspiring final works.
Beyond the Object: Digital Works, Video, Animation, and New Music
In addition to the physical works, the exhibition will also feature a series of video and animation works created by students in the design and music majors. They used advanced digital tools to create innovative works that reflect the spirit of the times and the dialogue between technology and art.
The "Exhibition Night" will conclude with a festive composition concert, featuring original works by the music students - works that were composed, arranged, and performed by them. This will be the end point - but also the beginning - of the creative journey of the artists of the future.
The City as an Audience: Art for Everyone
Needless to say, all events are open to the general public, free of charge. The Haifa public is invited to come, wander through the studio and classrooms, hear, see and experience living, young, exciting and poignant art.
At "Reut for the Arts" they not only raise creators – but they also raise sensitive, involved, thinking citizens. And when that happens – it's no less exciting than a musical.
It is worth covering in a more fair and balanced way the activities of other schools, not just those where the reporters' children study.
What is this advertising article? Is this called journalism?, a joke
It's a real shame that there wasn't widespread publicity for the event before then. I would have happily come, just as I came about a year ago to the final performance at the Hecht House, which was amazing.
Indeed, the school is excellent, believes in the students and gives them a primary, supportive, and inclusive platform for their talents and abilities.
I read the article with joy. Exciting! My three children also studied in the schools. They had a great time and today they continue to be creative artists.
to Irit Peltz,
Thank you very much for your warm and encouraging words!
It's exciting to hear that your children also grew up and flourished among the walls of Reut, and continued on their artistic path — this is living testimony to the power of creation, to the inspiration you receive in a place that believes in children and their dreams.
The heart is filled when you hear about more beautiful fruits that grew there.