The Theater Where Children Become the Stars: Building Confidence Through the Stage

At performances by Hoshen Theater, founded by Neria Meushar, there are lights, songs, costumes, scenery, and live music. But there is one thing you will not find: actors.

“About fifteen minutes before the performance begins, students selected by their teachers come to me,” Neria explains. “I give them a quick audition and assign them roles. They receive costumes, the lights in the auditorium go down, and the show begins.”

It is an unusual concept, but one that has produced remarkable results. Neria recalls performing at one school when a teacher approached him afterward and asked, “Do you know who the boy was who played the leading role alongside you?” Neria said he did not. The teacher then explained emotionally that the student was known as a “problem child.” He rarely sat through lessons, and the staff knew him primarily because of his repeated disciplinary problems.

“This was the first time the teachers had experienced him in such a positive way,” Neria recalls. “For 45 straight minutes, he listened, concentrated, and cooperated beautifully.” The educational staff watched in amazement as a child they knew mainly through his struggles suddenly flourished onstage.

Many of the children who perform alongside Neria feel that they do not have a place in the classroom. Yet when they are given the right environment in which to express themselves, they are often astonished by their own abilities. They discover that they, too, are capable, talented, and have something valuable to contribute.

“I Was Hurt Easily, and It Was Hard for Me to Say What I Felt”

As a child, Neria was introverted and sensitive. “I was easily hurt, and I found it difficult to express what I was feeling. The person who encouraged me to share and open up socially was my mother, who was always looking out for me.”

Today, he believes that learning to express oneself is an important part of developing self-confidence. “When we share with others and express our emotions, we gain tools for coping, and we also come to understand ourselves better.”

When children are struggling but do not share what they are going through, Neria explains, emotional distress can develop. Incorporating children from the audience into his performances gives them an opportunity to express themselves in an entirely different setting. “It strengthens their confidence and helps them recognize their own abilities.”

Hoshen Theater has been operating for more than a decade. A major turning point came when Neria began thinking about how he could involve children directly in his performances instead of having them simply sit in the audience.

“The idea of having the children actively participate in the acting developed gradually, until it became a unique genre of performance that incorporates the students themselves.”

Neria is probably the only person who knows how each performance will ultimately unfold. The students do not learn scripts in advance, nor are they selected because of any particular acting ability. Yet the results are impressive. The scenery, costumes, and live music are carefully coordinated, while the students step onto the stage and perform before an audience that sometimes includes their parents.

“It takes a lot of courage,” Neria says with a smile. “But the greatest beauty is when all these different elements come together perfectly.”

Photo: Sagiv Cohen

“The Mother Thanked Us Through Tears”

Neria also has opportunities to bring joy to children and adults who need it under especially difficult circumstances. One experience that remains deeply engraved in his memory involved a seriously ill child undergoing extremely difficult treatments.

“His parents were searching for anything that could make him happy and bring a smile to his face,” Neria recalls. “We heard about their painful situation, and in order to bring them some happiness, we sent them a performance we had specially filmed for Chanukah.”

The response was unforgettable. “I remember the mother contacting me in tears to thank us. She told me that she, her son, and even the medical staff watched the performance together, and despite all the pain they were experiencing, they couldn’t stop laughing.”

For Neria, it was far more than another successful performance. “That is a moment I will definitely remember. I felt tremendously privileged to touch the heart of a child who was suffering so much.”

Then came Simchat Torah and the outbreak of the Swords of Iron War. Schools closed, and Neria, whose performances are primarily presented to schoolchildren, suddenly found himself without his usual venues. But he did not stop.

Instead of traveling to schools, he began visiting IDF bases to play music for soldiers. He performed for displaced families from the communities surrounding Gaza and entered bomb shelters to bring music and encouragement to those inside. He understood that his newly available time and his talents could, and should, be used to help bring joy to the Jewish people.

From the Shabbat Table to the Stage

When asked how Hoshen Theater began, Neria goes back to the Friday nights of his youth, which he remembers as particularly precious.

“After the meal, my brother and I would remain around the Shabbat table. For hours, we would sing and tell stories late into the night. Everyone would share what had happened to them during the week, and the stories were always colorful and interesting.”

One phrase became particularly meaningful to the family: “Live the story and tell the life.” That spirit eventually inspired Neria to begin playing music and singing at community events and celebrations.

Neria began his professional career as a teacher. After a decade in education, during which he encountered the many challenges involved in teaching children, he began to feel that he wanted to help them in a different way.

“I wanted to touch children’s hearts. That was what motivated me and gave me the strength to leave a stable teaching position and become self-employed. When you are self-employed, no one promises you anything. You have to lift your eyes upward and pray to the Creator.”

“I’m Not Here to Be a Babysitter. I Have a Mission”

Today, Neria Meushar runs Hoshen Theater, which offers ten different productions. He sings and plays music at performances and also leads workshops for educational staff on incorporating acting techniques into the classroom.

“It is very important to me to write the material I produce myself,” he says. “Sometimes I even consult Torah authorities so that the performance will contain a meaningful and uplifting message. I’m not coming to babysit the children or simply keep them occupied. I want to strengthen them, and I use this medium to convey Torah, faith, and fear of Heaven.”

When asked whether he can actually see the impact his performances have on children, Neria smiles as he recalls arriving at a school for another performance. Before he even had time to settle in, he encountered a sixth-grade boy.

“As soon as he recognized me, he began humming a song from one of my performances. He laughed when he saw my surprised expression and said, ‘You came to our school five years ago. I still remember your song.’”

Neria was deeply moved. “I was amazed to discover that even five years later, children still remember my performances. If a child remembers one of my songs from a Chanukah play, then I believe the content of the performances has also influenced him.”

Performing the same productions repeatedly in different cities is not always easy, he admits. Yet the sense of purpose remains. “When I finish a show, I feel that I have been given an enormous privilege. I also feel that the performance has contributed to me no less than it has contributed to the children.”

Perhaps “actor” is not a broad enough description for what Neria Meushar does. For him, theater is ultimately a means to accomplish something much deeper.

“Before anything else, I am a Jew who wants to touch the hearts of the Jewish people,” he says.

After a decade of teaching, Neria has learned how to understand children, recognize their struggles, and develop approaches that can reach them. He also sees his work as a partnership with educators.

“I always tell the teachers that I work together with them, hand in hand. My goal is to expand the children’s inner world, teach them good character traits, and deepen the messages they receive.”