Yiddish Theatre in America

Yiddish Theatre in America. This unique form of community theatre came to America with the Jewish immigrants from Europe, where the art form had a stronghold in several cities. The first notable Yiddish production in New York was Avrom Goldfadn's Koldunye; or, The Witch in 1882 at the Bowery Theatre. Soon there were Yiddish theatres not only in Manhattan but also in Detroit, Boston, Chicago, and other cities. Most were located in the Jewish sectors and had a neighborhood feel to them, the local stars becoming favorites and the issues addressed (and often the jokes) tailored to the immediate community. The theatres were usually associated with local synagogues, social fraternities, and even labor unions. By World War I there were more than a dozen resident Yiddish theatres in New York, as well as troupes that toured from city to city. The plays were of two types: original dramas and comedies about either the old country or immigrant life in America, and Yiddish versions of the classics (particularly Shakespeare's works). Among the early Yiddish stars were David Kessler, Boris Thomashefsky, Jacob Adler, Sigmund Mogulesko, Stella Adler, and Keni Liptzin. While some of these performers were known for their broad, florid acting style, others employed the ideas of Stanislavsky years before English‐speaking actors used his methods. By the 1920s more and more Jewish immigrants became educated and assimilated into the world outside the neighborhoods and started attending English‐speaking theatre. The Yiddish theatres began to decline, though some left‐wing groups in the Great Depression remained active and there was even a Yiddish branch of the Federal Theatre Project. But Jewish actors, playwrights, and audiences kept moving to Broadway, and it was the job of the Yiddish Art Theatre, the Irving Place Theatre, ARTEF, and the Folksbiene Theatre to keep the old traditions alive. During the Nazi control of Europe and the Stalinist purge of Russia, Yiddish theatres all but disappeared in the old country. It dwindled in America as well until the late 1970s, when an interest in the old form and a renewed sense of tradition resurrected some Yiddish productions in various venues. Since fewer Americans spoke the old language, many were translated and found new life with Jewish theatre groups. Some of these productions, such as The Golden Land and Kumi‐Leml, appealed to mainstream audiences as well. It is unlikely that the Yiddish theatre will ever become a strong neighborhood entertainment as in the past, but it is just as unlikely that it will pass out of existence.