Directors
The auteur director–the great visionary in the mold of a Stanislavsky, Meyerhold, or Reinhardt–did not figure into the early years of the professional Yiddish stage. But it took little time for Yiddish troupes to develop an awareness of those great figures, and for some in those troupes to aspire to, and attain, such levels of artistic authority.
October 24, 2016
Franz Kafka’s Vagabond Stars
On February 18 1912, a Prague businessman and little-known German-language writer named Franz Kafka introduced an evening of Yiddish literary recitations in the city’s Jewish Town Hall.
September 16, 2016
When History Belonged to the Opera Writers
History belonged to the opera writers. First Goldfaden, and later Hurwitz and Lateiner and their followers, owned the franchise on Jewish history.
August 3, 2016
Breaking News: Yiddish Theatre Makes Money
Reviews of Avrom Goldfaden’s productions are notorious for critics’ snarky pot-shots, huffy asides, and sniffy evaluations.
July 27, 2016
How I Rediscovered Di goldene kale (The Golden Bride)
Michael Ochs on rediscovering the 1923 Yiddish operetta Di goldene kale by Joseph Rumshinsky.
December 17, 2015
Interview: Indecent Playwright Paula Vogel and Director Rebecca Taichman
Joel interviews Paula Vogel and Rebecca Taichman about the drama Indecent, which premiered at the Yale Repertory Theatre.
July 2, 2015
A Lost Film, Found
I’d never heard of him before, but I’ve found out a few things about Mark Schweid since February.