Background
Nola Chilton was born in Brooklyn, New York to Jewish immigrants from Odessa. Her mother died of tuberculosis when she was twelve. Her father was a jewelry engraver and food peddler.
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Nola Chilton
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She studied acting under Lee Strasberg and worked at the Actors Studio, coaching actors and directing.
Career
She is a pioneer of socially engaged theater in Israel. In 1960, she directed an off-off Broadway production of "Dead End," a radical play about the miserable lives of poverty-stricken young people, in which Dustin Hoffman appeared. In 1963, Chilton immigrated to Israel, settling in Kiryat Gat, then a small town in the northern Negev.
She worked briefly for the Cameri Theater but was not enamored with the Tel Aviv scene, which reminded her of what she had left behind.
She adopted a 2-year-old girl and moved to the north of the country, first to Kibbutz Ma"agan Michael and then Kibbutz Yasur. Chilton is now a resident of Kibbutz Sdot Yam.
Chilton was the inspiration for The Open Theater, an experimental theatre group active from 1963 to 1973 in New York City founded by her students to implement her "post-method," post-absurd acting technique through a collaborative process that explores political, artistic, and social issues.
Achievements
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Born
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Nationality
American
Awards
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Israel Prize Israel Prize
The Israel Prize (Hebrew: פרס ישראל) is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is generally regarded as the state's highest honor.The Israel Prize (Hebrew: פרס ישראל) is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is generally regarded as the state's highest honor.