i‑Teatron: Inclusive Family Theatre
“Behind every happy child there are happy parents.”
Did you know that one in eight children in new immigrant families in Israel faces communication or developmental challenges, including autism? They end up doubly isolated: as newcomers and as children with special needs. Many parents feel lost. There are programs for such families in Israel, but they are often inaccessible in language and culture.
We created i‑Teatron to support these families. It soon became clear that a safe creative space is needed far beyond them: the project brings together families with and without disabilities, parents, seniors, and volunteers. They want to meet regularly to make music and theatre, play, talk, and feel warmth and support.
With your help we are creating a space where every child can step on stage, and every family feels accepted.
i‑Teatron is the first inclusive family theatre in Israel, built on the “step‑by‑step inclusion” methodology that has been running since 2010: 29 inclusive productions, 118 performances, more than 25,800 viewers and participants, and over 700 families supported. The 2026–2027 season runs from September 2026 to July 2027 — eleven months — and our first performance in Israel premieres in January–February 2027.
It is a complete year‑long programme: 40 weeks of sessions, two open performances for the city, and a parallel support group for parents. Children with special needs and their peers play together, and theatre becomes a shared language that works beyond words, diagnoses and cultures. About half the team are new immigrants themselves — actors, social workers, art therapists and psychologists working in four languages. The project's ambassador is the actor Mikhail Zapesotsky.
The classes have already started. They take place in Rehovot, on the grounds of the De‑Shalit school. Three age groups have been formed: junior 6–9 (Tuesday), middle 10–12 (Tuesday) and senior from 12 (Monday); on Fridays all the groups come together for a production day. The programme is led by Elena Kohonover — actress, director, teacher and neuropsychologist. The schedule, the enrolment terms and the sign‑up form are on the club page: tophob.biz/iteatron.
About us
LAND AND SKY is an Israeli non‑profit active since 2008. We support families of new immigrants — including those raising children with special needs — and people living on Israel’s geographic and social periphery.
Our audience
Families, especially new immigrants, and people on the geographic and social periphery. Scholarships go first to families in financial difficulty.
What will the result be?
Children will gain confidence and joy from being heard and accepted. Parents will feel they are not alone — that there are other families with similar experiences and a community ready to support. For the city, this becomes a new hub of inclusion and creativity where people of different cultures, languages, and abilities meet and create together.
Every contribution turns into a child’s laughter at rehearsal, the shining eyes of a mother who has seen her son’s success, and the applause of a hall where the community welcomes families as its own.
How funds are used
Participation costs ₪150 a month per person for one session a week or ₪180 for two — parents take part on the same terms — plus ₪100 a year of annual insurance for a participant; every fifth place comes with a full scholarship, so that money is never the reason to stay away. Donations go to the scholarship fund and to the sessions themselves: facilitators, an assistant and a psychologist, hall rent and equipment, materials, and bringing the children on stage. A season of participation costs one person ₪1,750 for one session a week or ₪2,080 for two — eleven months at ₪150 or ₪180 plus the ₪100 annual insurance. About ₪19,800 covers a full season for roughly four scholarship places: a scholarship carries not only the fee but that participant's share of the facilitators, the hall and the performances.