I Can't Believe It's Not Shakespeare

After meeting me for about one minute, there are two things that people know about me:

1) I am an actress,

and

2)I am Jewish. 

So I thought that I would dedicate this post to something that combines both. . .  Yiddish Theatre!! 

Most people in the theatre world don’t know much about it, and yet we are all very much influenced by it.  Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg first experienced theatre in Yiddish.  Although the methods that they adapted were in large part a reaction to the melodramatic nature of the yiddish theatre, it is impossible to deny the impact that Yiddish theatre had on the creation of modern day realism in America.

The great thing to know is that there is still Yiddish theatre going on in New York.  The Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre is one of the last four Yiddish Theatres in operation today, and the only one in the US.  In fact, it is the oldest continually running Off-Broadway theatre, and is celebrating its 94th consecutive season this year: a testament to the fighting nature of the Yiddish culture. Click to read more on Yiddish Theater in New York City Monday June 8th they will be holding their annual gala for which Elie Wiesel is the Honorary Chairman. Many notable actors have performed at past galas including Tovah Feldshuh and Theodore Bikel.  If you are interested in getting a good idea of the Yiddish theatre community, it would be a wonderful event to attend.

Another interesting Yiddish Theatre event in the city is the readings of Shalom Aleichem’s Stempenyu in honor of his 150th birthday.  (You might have heard of Shalom Aleichem: his short stories served as the basis for Fiddler On The Roof)  All tickets are free to the public thanks to CUNY.  There is more information on The Folksbine website.  

I recently saw a production of Gimpel Tam, which was a facinating look into the tradition of melodrama that our theatrical forefathers were raised in.  In case you missed it, click this link for video footage.  http://www.folksbiene.org/gimpltam-video.html.  Daniella Rabbani

 starred as the promiscuous wife of a simple man.  Watching a young woman breathe life into this aging tradition of theatre gives audiences hope and excitement for the durability and future of the Yiddish theatre.  

Attending the Yiddish Theatre is something that I strongly suggest for people interested in how theatre in America became the way that it is today.  Its pretty cool that we have this opportunity to take part in living history.  So lets! 

 (If you want to learn more about Yiddish Theatre and its beginnings, you can always reference the ever helpful Wikipedia . . . what did we do with out that?!!)