Adina Tal
# Adina Tal

Adina Tal is an actress, playwright and theater director, the founder of the world's first deaf-blind professional theatre, the Nalaga'at Theater Company. She was born and raised in Switzerland, and immigrated to Israel at the age of 20.

## Erua Theater

Erua Theater was established in 1985 by Adina Tal and Rina Padua. An independent theater company specializing in interactive theater with a strong social engagement, Erua focused on dealing with serious issues in a humorous way.

In almost 15 years at Erua, Adina Tal wrote and directed multiple theater plays, including plays about violence, old age and Jewish identity. She also wrote for radio and television programs.

"How are you?" - a play about a woman - went to become a hit, with over 2500 performances.

## Nalaga'at Theater Company

Adina Tal founded the Nalaga'at Theater Company in 2002 together with Eran Gur after accepting an invitation to teach drama to a group of deaf-blind individuals. This experience grew into Nalaga'at (meaning "Please Touch" in Hebrew), the only professional deaf-blind theater company in the world.

The 2007 debut performance of "Light is Heard in Zig-Zag" was internationally successful, and led to the opening of the Nalaga'at Center in Tel Aviv. The company's piece "Not by Bread Alone" toured the world.

In its new home the repertoire company went on to open the Blackout restaurant (where patrons sit in the dark and are served by blind waiters), and the Kapish coffee shop (which employs an all-deaf team of food servers).

Nalaga'at has performed for hundreds of thousands of guests in Israel and worldwide.

## Lectures & Workshops

Adina Tal's lectures and workshops are inspired by her experiences with Nalaga'at. In her talks and workshops Adina shares the story behind the challenges, growth, and success of the theater company.

She lectures at conferences, social institutions and enterprises worldwide. Some of her talks are available online, for example some TEDx talks.

## Awards and Distinctions

* Honorary Doctorate from Tel Aviv University
* Honorary Fellow at the Ruppin Academy
* Social Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 - The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship
* Named one of the "50 Most Talented Social Innovators" at the World Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Day in Mumbai, India, 2015
