About
Guy Ben-Aharon is a stage director, writer and cultural entrepreneur.
As a theatre director, Guy’s work has been seen on stages in Austria, Canada, the UK and the US.
As a writer/essayist, his work has been published all over the world in The Atlantic, LA Times, Libération (French), Spiegel (German), Freitag (German), El Universal (Spanish), Expression (Swedish), Politiken (Danish), Aftenposten (Norwegian), Agrinio (Greek), LIFO (Greek), and Yeni E (Turkish).
As a cultural entrepreneur, he is the founder & executive director of The Jar, an organization that uses the arts to connect folks across difference.
A graduate of Emerson College, Guy is a 2025 and 2022 Salzburg Global Seminar Fellow, a 2021 Institute for Nonprofit Practice Changemaker Awardee, a 2015 AdR Fellow at the University of Cambridge, a 2013 Theatertreffen Fellow in Berlin, and a member of the ROI Global Entrepreneurs Community.
Guy's work to promote cultural bridges through the arts has been featured in The Boston Globe, The International Herald Tribune, The Washington Post, Der Standard and NPR.
Photo Credit: Philip Brunnader
Selected Writing
“Notes from an Israeli Pacifist” in The Atlantic, Spiegel (German), El Universal (Spanish), Libération (French), Aftenposten (Norwegian), Expression (Swedish), Politiken (Danish), LIFO (Greek)
“Cancer of the State" in der Freitag (German)
“A play about Gaza won awards in Israel. No theater would dare mount it now.” in the LA Times, Libération (French), der Freitag (German), LIFO (Greek) Agrinio (Greek), Yeni E (Turkish)
The Jar
I'm the Founder & Executive Director of The Jar. The Jar inspires individuals to connect to folks like them and not like them through cultural experiences and a unique Convener Model whereby people gather with people who don't look, pray, or love like them.
If you’d like to donate to The Jar, please do so here. And thanks.
“Living in a diverse society doesn’t necessarily mean you get to interact with a diverse population, and The Jar makes that possible.”
“It’s easy to forget that we are not here to fight each other, but to experience joy with each other. The Jar is that powerful reminder.”
"Absolutely loved my experience at the Jar. From the conversations to the laughs, to the uninterrupted eye contact with strangers, I am a huge fan of this concept. I left feeling heard and understood. Thank you for having me!”
“What a wonderful invitation and realization of a space to be curious and vulnerable, in many tongues, fully in our hearts and bodies. Thank you.”
Features, Interviews
Can joy of the arts bring us together? A Boston project tests the idea :: The Washington Post
'Third spaces' are a key to fighting the loneliness crisis :: NPR’s Here & Now
A year since conflict escalated in the Middle East, a local Palestinian woman and Israeli man remain close friends :: WBUR
A year after the Oct. 7 attacks, friends with ties to Israel and Palestine look forward in WGBH
Palestinian, Israeli friends share hope for peace after a year of war :: WCB
‘The Jar’ invites strangers to build meaningful relationships through art :: WGBH
Regisseur Guy Ben-Aharon: "Was tun, um den in meinem Namen geführten Krieg zu stoppen?" :: Der Standard
Two friends seek to bridge the divide between Israelis and Palestinians with love :: WBUR Up Next
The Jar fosters diverse human connection through art, dialogue and dinner with strangers :: The Bay State Banner
The Jar: Diverse Meetups Forge Friendships Through Art and Experience :: Dig Boston
Why Don’t They Want to See Israeli Plays in America? :: Haaretz and Haaretz Hebrew
Can a play about the occupation find a home with American Jews? :: +972 Magazine
With $750,000 grant, The Jar aims to expand its conversations around culture :: The Boston Globe
Boston theater producer happy to air Israel’s ‘dirty laundry’ on stage :: The Times of Israel
Guy Ben-Aharon Wants You to Go Beyond Chekhov :: American Theatre Magazine
Oh Gott
Landestheater Linz, Sept 2024
Playwright: Anat Gov
Director: Guy Ben-Aharon
Cast: Angela Waidmann, Christian Taubenheim
Stage Design: Cristina Todesco
Costume Design: Bianca Sarah Stummer
Sound Design: Tony Meola
Dramaturgy: Wiebke Melle
Stage Manager: Christian Bauli
Whisperer: Alice Hulan
Painting: Hilla Spitzer
Photos: Petra Moser
Press:
Features in Der Standard (“He has now directed in Austria, the homeland of his great-grandparents – a play that has also accompanied him for years: Oh God!”) and Nachtrichten
Reviews in Krone (“Brilliant comedy”, “a subtle, humorous, and philosophical theater evening of the highest class!”) and Nachtrichten (“Guy Ben-Aharon directs the sensitive chamber play of his Israeli compatriot in an entertaining and precise manner”, “Long, strong applause at the Premiere”)
The Return
Israeli Stage, May 2019
Playwright: Hanna Eady & Ed Mast
Director: Guy Ben-Aharon
Cast: Philana Mia, Nael Nacer
Stage Design: Cristina Todesco
Lighting Design: Jeff Adelberg
Costume Design: Charles Schoonmaker
Sound Design: David Wilson
Stage Management: Kimberly Waller
Technical Director: Ben Lieberson
Photos: Anna Olivella
Press:
Features The Boston Globe (“After an impressive nine-year run powered by indefatigable founder and artistic director Guy Ben-Aharon, Israeli Stage is ringing down the curtain with “The Return.’”), WBUR Morning Edition (“"The Return," which explores the rift between two cultures through the relationship of a Jewish-Israeli woman and Palestinian-Israeli man.”)
Reviews in Dig Boston (“there has not been a more taut, better-acted production”, “directed with staggering intensity”"), Boston Arts Diary (“exquisitely directed”), Theater Mirror (“skillfully directed”), Jewish Journal (“stellar”, “provocative and extraordinary”), Edge (“dynamic and exhilarating”), BroadwayWorld (“every minute is taut and every silence speaks as powerfully as words of dialogue”), Boston Theatre Wings (“Guy Ben-Aharon is a gifted stage provocateur”), WBUR (“powerfully affecting”)
The Last Act
Israeli Stage, May 2018
Playwright: Joshua Sobol
Director: Guy Ben-Aharon
Cast: Marianna Bassham, Annelise Lawson, Craig Mathers, Louis Abd El Massih
Stage Design: Cristina Todesco
Lighting Design: Jeff Adelberg
Costume Design: Charles Schoonmaker
Sound Design: David Reiffel
Stage Management: Elizabeth Ramirez
Technical Director: Ben Lieberson
Photos: Anna Olivella
Press:
Features in The Washington Post (“an anguished cadre of Israeli playwrights looks to America to stage its work”") The Times of Israel (“Boston theater producer happy to air Israel’s ‘dirty laundry’ on stage”), +972 Magazine (“Can a play about the occupation find a home with American Jews?”), The Forward (“Is Joshua Sobol Too Political For Israel?”)
Reviews in Edge (“taut and unsettling”, “an outstanding production from top to bottom”) Theater Mirror (“excellent performances”), WBUR (“an urgent, intimate staging on a strip of playing space with audience members facing one another from opposite sides”), Broadway World (“Ben-Aharon asserts the importance of engaging with the audience to spark thought and conversation, regardless of which side of the issue one might align with”, “not only a worthwhile artistic venture, but also an opportunity to open a dialogue”), Jewish Journal (“Blistering, sensual drama”)
Ulysses on Bottles
ArtsEmerson: The World on Stage, April 2015
Playwright: Gilad Evron
Director: Guy Ben-Aharon
Cast: Ken Cheeseman, Daniel Berger Jones, Jeremiah Kissel, Will Lyman, Karen MacDonald
Stage Design: Ron de Marco
Costume Design: Charles Schoonmaker
Sound Design: Dave Remedios
Stage Management: Adele Traub
Photos: Paul Marotta
Press:
Features in The Boston Globe (“a leap for Israeli Stage”)
Reviews in The Arts Fuse (“Guy Ben-Aharon’s directorial skills are on full splendid display”), Boston Arts Diary (“the lineup of acting talent here is significant”), Broadway World (“top shelf”), The Boston Globe (“charged with urgency”), WBUR (“masterfully navigates politics and metaphor”, “helmed here by 25-year-old director Guy Ben-Aharon, it is both compellingly themed and masterfully acted”)
